CO129-423 - Governor Sir May - 1915 [7-8] — Page 417

CO129 Colonial Office Hong Kong Records 理藩院香港檔案 All

Messer, Captain Superintendent of Police, whose present salary is 86,000 per annum with 8900 house allowance, and from Mr. E. D. C.

Wolfe, Postmaster-General, whose present salary is $5,100 plus £100 from the Imperial Post Office per annum. These officers and their wives are very careful house-keepers with no expensive

413 habits. Mr. Messer especially lives very economically. Both

officers keep careful accounts of their domestic expenditure. Mr. Messer's statement shows that on his present salary he is barely able to provide for periodical passages to England and that he is unable to save anything. It is true that he will in due course attain the salary of $7,200 per annum. But the education of his 2

boys will absorb more than the increase.

Mr. Wolfe's statement, which is complicated for

reasons that he has explained, shows that under normal conditions he estimates his monthly expenditure at not less than $800 per

mensen. From my om experience I know that an officer in his position residing at the Peak, which is the only fit place for European

children, with a wife and 2 children (aged and 2 years respective- -ly) as he has, must live very carefully to keep his expenditure

as low as the figure mentioned.

3.

I have, therefore, to recommend the following

scheme of house allowances for married European Officers in the category indicated who have not less than 10 years pensionable

service:-

Class I. Officers in receipt of salaries of

£800 per annum and over....

Class II. Officers in receipt of salaries

from £600-£800 per annum...

Class III. Officers in receipt of salaries

of less than £600 per annum.......

.81,800 p.a.

.81,200 p.a. ¦

8720 p.a.

I place the limit at 10 years service because I do not wish to

encourage junior officers to marry, and I advocate in this case a

scheme

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