CO129-297 - Governor Sir Blake - 1900 [1-3] — Page 281

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Enclosure.

COPY.

Honourable Colonial Secretary,

REC

C.O.

6491

Seat 27 FEB

279

I attach a table showing (1) our present rates, (2) rates which we recommended and (3) rates which the Secretary of State now sanctions, you will see that for P.C’8, and Lance Sergeants ( all but 10 cents a month) the Secretary of State has granted what we asked. The increase, deducting the contribution to the Widows and Orphans Fund, for Sergeants and 3rd. class Inspectors is so small as to be hardly appreciable, while for 2nd. and 1st. class Inspectors and for Chief Inspectors,

it is little more than nominal.

I don't know what the ration allowances at

Singapore amount to. From the Singapore Blue Book 1898, it looks as if all 2nd. class Inspectors got $5 a month and all 3rd. cláss Inspectors, Sergeants, and Constables (European) $10 a month,

but probably that has all been revised at their recent increase

of salaries. I attach a list showing which of our 2nd. and 3rd. class Inspectors and Sergeants are married, and what allowances

they draw for medals and languages. It will be seen that of 8

married officers four draw no allowances at all, while the other

four draw an average of $5 a month each. If all the allowances

drawir by 2nd. and 3rd. class Inspectors and Sergeants were divided

up among the married ones, it would average $6.25 per man, which Mia probably less than the ration allowance drawn by the married

officers at Singapore. It must be borne in mind that medals are

only granted for very special services or very long and faithful

service, and that the Chinese language is so difficult that very few men ever learn enough of it to earn an allowance.

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