CO129-409 - Governor Sir May - 1914 [1-3] — Page 278

!

:

}

277

سگا

37352

03

The proper interpretation of the rule as to professional qualifications is clearly defined in the concluding

paragraph of Mr. Chamberlain's Despatch No. 198 of the 28th. May, 1903, in which instructions were given that all those officers who were holding any of the posts mentioned in the schedule were to be warned that the amount of the addition, if any, to which they would ultimately be entitled, would depend upon the post held by then when they first entered the Hongkong Service.

4.

Mr. Cooper on entering the service was appoint- -ed to the post of Sanitary Surveyor, which post was not included in the schedule, although it was still in existence at the date of the publication of the schedule. Having regard therefore to the wording of the Pension Linute and to lir. Chamberlain's instructions it would seem that according to the strict wording of the Pension Minute Mr. Cooper is not entitled to any allowance for profession- -al qualifications. But I submit that in this particular instance

an exception should be made in Mr Cooper's favour. That officer was a fully qualified engineer when he was appointed to the post of Sanitary Surveyor in 1888. In 1889 he was appointed to act as Assistant Engineer and in the same year he actually acted as Surveyor-General, the title which the Head of the Public Works Department at that time held. In 1690 he held the appointment of Acting Assistant Surveyor-General and in 1690 he was selected for

the important post of Resident Engineer in charge of the Water and

Drainage Department.

bús.

M

I submit therefore that Mr. Cooper should be granted such proportion of the 2 years allowance for professional qualifications as the length of his service in Hongkong bears to his total service and I presume that if this privilege is conceded his pension from Ceylon will be increased by a proportion of the special allowance. Accordingly I enclose an amended form of pension paper for your consideration.

5.

It will be seen that in the pension form

transmitted under cover of Mr. Severn's Despatch No. 390 of the

4119415

7th.

: