CO129-305 - Governor Sir Blake - 1901 [5-7] — Page 55

52

menser, and in addition $1 per month ration allowance, but at the same time he is for the first 31 months of his service subject to a deduction of $1 a month to what is called the "return passage fund", in order that if he is dismissed he may have some money to pay his passage back to India. He is also allowed to remit one half of his pay to India at an enhanced rate of exchange. The Indian Constable insists on availing himself to the full of the latter privilege, and nothing can persuade him that Government is not cheating him if it does not provide him with sufficient pay to enable him to remit every cent of his monthly balf pay. The result is that he remits it, and has only $8.25. left to feed himself with and to defray the cost of his private clothing and his petty month- ly expenses. The cost of the scale of rations which I have laid down for each man (and which is not more than reasonably suffi- cient) comes to 23 cents a day or say $7 a month, so that after making his remittance he has not the money to pay for even his rations. The result has been that he cut down his monthly expen- diture on food to $5 or even less. The second class Constable is in this position:-

-

!

Pay $13.50, Ration Allowance $1, Good Conduct

<

Badge 75. cts. = $15, 25, of which he insists on remitting $6.75. leaving him $8.50. His rations should cost him $7 leaving him $1.50 for petty expenses (clothes, contribution to wages of cook at many stations, etc.) I have made enquiries and find that an Indian petty expenses average from $1.50 to $2 a month, so that even the 2nd. class Constable if he feeds himself as he ought to do has not enough margin on his pay to make him altogether com- fortable. The 1st. class Constable (if of 5 years' service) is in this position:-

$1, Good Conduct Pay - $15.50, Ration Allowance Badge - $1.25, $17.75, of which he remits $7.75 leaving him $10 for food ($7) and petty expenses. He is well off and men in this class have given me no trouble as they can afford to and do feed themselves well, and have no difficulty in making their remittance.

6.

The Indian Police have suffered more severely from Malaria in the New Territory than the European and Chinese Members of the Force, and I have no doubt that their extreme susceptibility to the disease has been largely due to want of proper food. I am desirous that Government should undertake the rationing of the entire Indian Force. Ten can then be severely dealt with if they are caught selling Government provisions, and the Contractor can also be dealt with if he conspires with the men to traffic in the rations. I may mention that in the case of the Hongkong and Singapore Battalion R.A.. it bas recently been found necessary for Government to take over the rationing of the men, so that if this Government does the same by the Police it will only be following the example set in every Indian Regiment now in Hongkong. There is no doubt that it is the only way to ensure

that