CO129-453 - Acting Governor Claud Severn - 1919 [1-3] — Page 556

Enclosure 2.

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both here and in Shanghai of the question of salaries. Sir William Rees Davies and Mr. C. McI. Messer I regard as

holding reasonable views on the subject of the emoluments of the Public Service. I enclose the report of the Commission with the covering letter from the Chief Justice and certain donments considered by the Commissioners in drawing up

their report.

3.

Before dealing with the report I desire

to submit a short statement of the opinion formed by me

since my arrival in the Colony on the salaries of the Civil

Service, as compared with those paid in the Straits Settle-

-ments and Federated Malay States. It was unfortunate in my

opinion that Mr. Stubbs was not asked to do in Hongkong in

December, 1910, what he had already done in Malaya. He visit-

-ed Hongkong and I believe consulted with Sir F. D. Lugard on

certain matters connected with sularies, but he had no

authority to make general recommendations. The result has

been a considerable disparity between the salaries of the

Cadet Service here and in Malaya, and until the system of

allowances in aid of rent was introduced in the year 1917

the high rents paid by married officers made the difference

more acute. The fact that in Hongkong there are only three classes in the Cadet Service as compared with five classes in Malaya has had a tendency to delay promotion unduly, not- -withstanding the fact that the Hongkong Service is a much

smaller one.

4.

The second matter that I have noted is the comparatively low scale of salaries paid to officers in the Public Works Department and the Medical Department. The public works in this Colony would compare favourably I should say with those of any part of the Empire, and the Government has been fortunate hitherto in securing at a comparatively low rate of pay the services of competent

Engineers