CO129-422 - Governor Sir May - 1915 [5-6] — Page 222

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but to accept it, but they made it understood that they did not regard it as an answer to their petition, and they therefore reserved the right to apply for a definite and satisfactory increase of pay in the near future. It cannot be denied that the cost of living has of recent years increased in a serious manner, most serious to those whose means have not increased in proportion: and that since the commencement of the present war the prices of food-stuffs have become so great that your petitioners are in many cases extremely embarrassed. Many of your petitioners in leaving home for service in Hong Kong have done so because of the apparent opportunity of making larger allowances to parents and relatives partially or wholly dependent upon them. duties in this respect has in many cases become either a severe hardship or impossibility. Further than this there is the undoubted fact that with the present heavy losses of wage-earners at home the numbers of dependents on your petitioners is increasing and will continue to increase. That the high cost of living will never revert to its former rate there can be no doubt, and your petitioners ask that these matters may receive immediate attention, honestly viewing as they do the present state of affairs with anxiety and apprehension.

Their

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The only opportunities men have of earning extra pay is by doing duty at theatres in their "off" time. In the case of Chinese theatres this duty is sometimes very exacting as these theatres are often overcrowded and always very dirty. This extra duty is only performed in a few favoured districts and throughout the Force it

does not average $5 per month.

Allied to the question of pay is that of pension, and your petitioners ask that in this matter a revision be made so as to provide as in the case of the London Metropo- litan Police, a pension of two-thirds of the pay at the time of retiring. Your petitioners further ask that retirement be made compulsory on the bappening of one of two events ie. on the completion of twenty-one years service, or on reaching the age of forty-five. There have been recent retirements of Inspectors after service of over thirty years in the Police. The natural result is the blocking of all channels of promotion, and of more importance still a very serious denial to men in the lower ranks of qualify ing for that objective in all services, an adequate retiring allowance. can be said of any service than that "every man has his chance."

submit, is not now an axiom of the Hong Kong Police force.

This

Nothing better your petitioners