CO129-301 - Governor Sir Blake - 1900 [9-12] — Page 105

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teach by example the Junior Sorters their proper duties,

We' are further of opinion that the Shanghai Branch of the

Post Office is thoroughly undermanned, and that it should

- bør reorganised on a more liberal scale.

B. We stated in the beginning that

we have been chiefly influenced by the fact that the cost

or living has greatly increased during the past few years,

- as well as to a certain extent by the individual merits of

each case, so far as we have been able to ascertain then,

but our reasons in many cases have been so diverse, and so

many pointa have to be taken into consideration in ̧ coming

to a conclusion, that we have not attempted to set forth

in detail the grounds for each recommendation. It will, we

trust, be considered sufficient, if we say that we have

- carefully weighed the facts for and against each applica-

tion, and, while trying to meet the individual necessities

of the case,and the claims of long service, we have also

endeavoured to do away with some anomalies, and to make

salaries in the various departments more consistent. We

have not been able to do this as thoroughly as we could

have wished, owing to the different customs which obtain

in each department as to allowances for free quarters,

chair hire,etc.,etc.,

While acknowledging the assist-

ence received at the hands of all Heads of Departments and

their Subordinates, we feel bound to point out the diffi-

/culty that a Commission of this description must pecess-

arily experience in weighing the pros and cons of so many applications, and also the impossibility of obtaining all

the facts required to form an absolutely definite opinion

of the merita of each case, We have however done our best

to get at the truth, and at such points as would enable us

to