CO129-454 - Acting Governor Claud Severn - 1919 [4-6] — Page 370

366

First Assistant Government Marine Surveyor, Second Assistant Superintendent of Police,

Assistant Superintendent, Botanical and

C O

Forestry Department, Junior Assistant Marine Surveyor

30080

Meet 27 JUN IC

I find that I omitted from the fourth class of Schedule I the

poat of 2nd. Assistant to the Secretary for Chinese Affairs. I propose that the post of 3rd. Assistant should be abolished

as it will always be possible to attach a Passed Cadet to the

office if required.

3.

The Medical Department.

One of the things that struck me when I

came to this Colony was that Government Officers could not

command the services of Government Medical Officers free of

charge as in the Straits Settlements and Federated Malay

States. It is possible for them to go to the Government Civil

Hospital and consult a Medical Officer free of charge, but in

practice this is not done, and an Officer's expenses in Hong- -kong are higher than those of an Officer elsewhere by the amount of the fees he has to pay to private Medic al

Practitioners. I consider that the system here should be the

same as that in the other Eastern blonies and Dependencies,

and my recommendations as regards the emoluments of Govern-

-ment Medical Officers and the number of posts are based on

the supposition that their services will be available free of

charge to Government Officers, As regards attendance on the

families of Government Officers I am of opinion that the

Medical Officers should be permitted to make private arrange-

-ments as regards fees as was, and I presume still is, the

case in the Federated Malay States. I should put the salary

of the Principal Civil Medical Officer at £1,000 rising to

£1,300 by annual increments of £50, and would provide him

with Government Quarters at the same rent as other officers

of similar rank. Hitherto the Principal Civil Medical Officer

has