OOP Y.-
Sir,
388
Police Office,
Hongkong, 18th. June, 1902.-
1874
CCT
I have the honour to address you on the subject of the present pay of the European members of the Fire Brigade, which I consider far from adequate and in which I desire to recommend a subs- tantial increase.
The present rate of pay for a fireman, $9 a month, was fixed in 1999, when the dollar was worth about twice its present value.
At the same time that the value of their pay has diminished, the work they have had to do has considerably increased. During the 10 years from 1889 to 1899 inclusive the average yearly number of fires was 23. During the 3 years 1899 1901 the Brigade was turned out 33, 31, and 57 times respectively, and average of 52 times, and during the first four months of this year the men were called upon to extinguish no less than 28 fires.
unpopular are :-
Other causes which make or tend to make the work
1. The necessary confinement to station, in order that a certain member may be always immediately available at all hours.
3. The recent enormous increase in lofty buildings, rendering the work of the firemen considerably more arduous and dif- ficult, and much more dangerous than was formerly the case, when most buildings were only two or at most three stories high.
3. Last but by no means least, the large increases which have been recently made in the pay of the European Police, while their allowances for F. B. work have remained unchanged. When a Police- man's pay was only $50 a month, and even after exchange compensation was granted on half that salary $9 a month was a comfortable and acceptable addition to his income for which he was very willing to undertake the additional work of a fireman, and there were always plenty of applicants for vacancies in the Brigade. But since they received an increase of 20 % in their Police pay, and especially now that exchange compensation is paid on the whole of their salary, they are so well off that the relatively trifling sum of $9 a month is not nearly sufficient to attract men to volunteer for the Fire Brigade.
The consequence of these and possibly other causes is that out of a total of 22 firemen I have now no less than five vacancies and no applicants for them. Of course the exceptionally hard
The Honourable
work
The Colonial Secretary.'
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