CO129-394 - Governor Sir May & Public Offices - 1912 [12] — Page 249

CN. 15368/12//271

It is requested that in any further cornmunication on this subject the above letters and numbers may be quoted, and the Letter addressed as follows:-

"The Secretary of the Admiralty,

"Whitehall,

"London"

C

S.

Branch."

Sir.

ناشر

Admiralty, SW.,

"C#

242

24 October, 1912.

Foctober,

C. O. 33026

RECE

REG: 25 OCT 12

·

I am commanded by my Lorde dom renxebera of the

Admiralty to acquaint you, for the information of the

Secretary of State, that they have had under consideration

the conditions of employment and pay of the members of the

Dockyard Police Force at Hong Kong, and in connection

therewith the question has arisen as to whether it would

not be expedient and practicable for the Dockyard and other

Naval Establishments at Hong Kong to be policed by the

Colonial Police Force.

The constitution of this Dockyard Police Force has

given rise to vexed questions off and on for many years, A

considerable part of the trouble being due to the fact that

the conditions of service are dissimilar to those in the

Colonial Police. The rates of pay of the Dockyard Police

have, from time to time, been adjusted to bring them more

into line with those of the Colonial force, the last

occasion being in February 1909, but there have always been

difficulties in the way of making service in the Dockyard

police as attractive as in the Colonial Police, particularly

in respect of prospective pensions on completion of a given

number of years in the force.

The two Forces apparently desire to obtain the

services of the same class of men, and the Colonial force,

usually offering the better terms and having of late years

secured improved conditions, at present has the advantage

in recruiting, and, it is stated, attracts the best men

The Under Secretary of State, Colonial Office,

from

eign

an

L.P.-No. 9.

SI.

S. W.