CO129-339 - Acting Governor May Governor Nathan - 1907 [1-3] — Page 520

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Conclosure 2.

12193

Wongkong,

i

November506 APR 07)

516

Your Excellency,

With reference to the reply of the Secretary

of State to your despatch on the subject of salaries of

Public Servants, we the undersigned Reads and Assistant

Heads of Departments, have the honour to lay certain

figures before you, in support of our contention that our

present remuneration is inadequate. We ask that Your

Excellency will scrutinize these figures (whether by the

aid of a Commission composed of the unofficial Members of

Council, or as otherwise may seem best to you) and that

then, if satisfied as to their general correctness, you

will forward them, together with such comment as may sug-

gest itself to you, to the Secretary of State.

2.

While we believe that the facts and figures

given in the Tables attached will speak for themselves,

some general explanation of our present position is neces-

sary, as well as of the principle upon which our facts

were selected.

3.

We submit that in the Public Service, there

can be but one just standard by which to determine what is

or what is not an adequate recompense for the service per-

formed. This standard is based upon the cost of the manner

of living proper to the class of persons who render those

services, and is calculated to maintain them in a resonable

degree of comfort. Our contention is, that our remuneration

falls below this standard, and that it should therefore be

increased.

4.

The justice of this argument, that our

salaries must be suited to the cost of living of the day,

has on several occasions been recognised by the Secretary

of State. To mention two only, in 1894 what was known as

"half