510
19th March, 1883.
Officer Administering the Govt.:
(William Henry Marsh Condit
15
The Right Honourable
The Earl
of Derby.
Memorial.
Transmits memorial from Civil servants praying for revision of Civil List &c.
To the Right Honourable
The Earl of Derby,
Her Majesty's Principal Secretary of State for the Colonies.
THE PRAYER OF YOUR MEMORIALISTS,
Humbly sheweth,
That the Civil List of the Colony of Hongkong was fixed on the 17th August, 1860 by Ordinance No. 13 of 1860.
That since that date other offices have been created to meet the exigencies of the service to which fixed salaries have been attached.
That during the interval from 1860 to the present time the Colony has greatly increased in population, wealth and importance, as is shown by the following figures:--
Population, Tonnage, Revenue, Expenditure, 1881, 160,402 1359. 86,941 626,586 $462,078 $981,582. .6347,474 4,008,383 $1,924,455That with this increase have grown the duties and responsibilities of the various offices of Her Majesty's Government in this Colony simultaneously with a considerable enhancement of the yearly expenses of living, particularly in the matter of rent, wages, and the price of articles imported from Europe, combined with a special and abnormally high rate of insurance premia, and an excessive cost of medical attendance and drugs.
That the periodical changes of air to Europe which the climate renders necessary are difficult and expensive, owing to the distance of the Colony from the mother country.
That from the same climatic drawbacks and from the absence of suitable educational advantages, as well as for other local reasons, it is impossible to properly bring up European children in this Colony, though the necessary cost of a separate maintenance entails heavy and serious expenditure.
That from the position of your Memorialists as Heads of Departments and Public Officers, there are constant calls upon their purses for objects of local interest or of charity which it is incumbent upon them to meet.
That for the foregoing and other numerous reasons of detail it has become a matter of great and growing difficulty to keep within the limits of an income, and a matter of impossibility to make any proper provision for the future,
That the pensions which were allotted to your Memorialists upon the prescribed conditions of age and service are in nearly every instance neutralized owing to the premature demise of those who would otherwise enjoy them,
That your Memorialists would respectfully urge that the salaries attached to their several offices are not high when compared with the sums paid to corresponding officials in England, while they compare most unfavourably with those paid to the managers and assistant managers of local banks and to professional and other men of business in this Colony,
That the heavy calls on the salaries of your Memorialists have been of late years yet further aggravated by the depreciation in the purchasing value of the coin with which under Ordinance No. 1 of 1864 those salaries are paid at the rate of exchange therein fixed,
That your Memorialists have endeavoured faithfully and loyally to discharge the duties of their several offices, but experiencing the yearly increased financial pressure brought to bear upon them, they are now compelled to humbly pray your Lordship to take into favourable consideration the subject of this Memorial, and to permit the revision of the Civil List and other salaries to the advantage of your Memorialists.
And your Memorialists as in duty bound will ever pray.
[PTO.
510
19th March, 1883.
Officer Adminstering the Wort
:(William Henry March Condiz
15
The Right Honourable
The Earl
of Werly.
Memorial.
Frausmits - from
Civil
&wanti praying for torzun
of
lint list & Mez Tatari
ጉ
To the Right Honourable
The Earl of Derby,
Her Majesty's Principal Secretary of State
for the Colonies.
THE PRAYER OF YOUR MEMORIALISTS,
Humbly skeweth,
That the Civil List of the Colony of Hongkong was fixed on the 17th August, 1860 by Ordinance No. 13 of 1860.
That since that date other offices have been created to meet the exigencies of the service to which fixed salaries have been attached.
That during the interval from 1860 to the present time the Colony has greatly increased in population, wealth and importance, as is shown by the following figures:--
Population,. Tonnage,
Revenue,
Expenditure,
1881,
160,402
1359. 86,941 626,586 -$462,078
$ 981,582.
.6347,474
4,008,383 $1,924,455
That with this increase have grown the duties and responsibilities of the various offices of Her Majesty's Government in this Colony simultaneously with a considerable enhancement of the yearly expenses of living, particularly in the matter of rent, wages, and the price of articles imported from Europe, combined with a special and abnormally high rate of insurance premia, and an excessive cost of inedical attendance and drugs.
That the periodical changes of air to Europe which the clinate renders uccessary are difficult and expensive, owing to the distance of the Colony from the mother country.
That from the same climatic drawbacks and from the absence of suitable educational advantages, as well as for other local reasons, it is impossible to properly bring up Euro- pean children in this Colony, though the necessary cost of a separate maintenance entails heavy and serious expenditure.
That from the position of your Memorialists as Heads of Departments and Public Officers, there are constant calls upon their purses for objects of local interest or of charity which it is incumbent upon then to meet.
That for the foregoing and other numerous reasons of detail it has become a matter of great and growing difficulty to keep within the limits of an income, and a matter of impossibility to make any proper provision for the future,
That the pensions which we allotted to your Memorialists upon the prescribed con- ditions of age and service are in nearly every fustance neatralized owing to the premature demise of those who would otherwise enjoy them,
That your Memorialists would respectfully urge that the salaries attached to their several offices are not high when compared with the sums paid to corresponding officials in England, while they compare most unfavourably with those paid to the managers and assistant managers of local banks and to professional and other men of business in this Colony,
That the heavy calls on the salaries of your Memorialists have been of late years yet further aggravated by the depreciation in the purchasing value of the coin with which under Ordinance No. 1 of 1864 those salaries are paid at the rate of exchange therein fixed,
That your Memorialists have endeavoured fankfully and loyally to discharge the duties of their several offices, but experiencing the yearly increased financial pressure brought to bear upon then, they are now compelled to hambly pray your Lordship to take juto favourable consideration the subject of this Memorial, and to permit the revision of the Civil List and other salaries to the advantage of your Memorialists.
And your Memorialists as in duty bound will ever pray.
[PTO.
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