CO129-303 - Public Offices & Others - 1900 — Page 210

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the wages of subordinates conceded by the Royal Naval

Yard, and to the publicity attaching to the higher wages

being awarded to the same class of employee in the

Colonial Service, it was as inevitable that a like

consideration should be sought by the subordinates in

our employ as it is impossible for one branch of the

public service to stand aloof from or to ignore

circumstances to which others have yécided less of

course from compulsion than from a fair and reasonable

recognition of unprecedented conditions.

-

I therefore make the following recommenda-

tions which I strongly urge may be given effect to, the

increases, though seemingly high as compared with the

salary, being really much below the aggregate increase

that has taken place in the items of house rent and of

provisions here since the salaries were fixed at the ir

present amounts. And I specially urge that the

salaries be issued free of income duty. This is not

an incidence of taxation here, so that in being charged

income duty these men are doubly taxed, because they pay

all the local taxes as well, from which officers are

exempt, an indulgence which has been refused in the

case of the men herein referred to.

(a) The pay of the three Expense Store Accountants

and of the Superintendent of Water Transport, Mr Comley

to be raised from a minimum of $140 to $165 rising to $190 by yearly increments of $5.

a month,

(b)

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