CO129-461 - Governor Sir Stubbs - 1920 [5-7] — Page 237

CONFIDENTIAL.

40401

p. 14 AUG 201

GOVERNMENT HOUSE.

HONGKONG. 14th June, 1920.

233

My Lord,

419

6174

20

I have the honour to refer to paragraph 23

of my confidential despatch of the 11th December, 1919, in

which I stated that I saw no reason for departing from the

present system under which the accounts of this Government are audited by the Colonial Audit Department and suggested

that the views of the Director of Colonial Audit should be

ascertained before the salaries of the Audit Staff were

definitely settled. The matter is not touched upon in Your Lordship's reply.

2.

With further experience of the circumstances

and on fuller consideration I have come to the conclusion

that my previous view was incorrect and that it would be to

the advantage of this Government to take over the auditing

of its own accounts.

3.

The present arrangement seems to me to involve this Goverment in umecessary expense, The superior

staff at present consists of the following officers, the salaries given being those of the unrevised scale:-

Auditor

£650 to 2800 by £20 annually and per-

sonal allowance of £100.

1st Assistant Auditor £420 to £540 by £15 annually and

£60 duty pay.

2nd Assistant Auditor £420 to £540 by £15 annually and

£60 duty pay.

European Clerk

RIGHT HONOURABLE

£264 to £360 by £12 biennially.

VISCOUNT MILNER, G.C.B.,

&C..

&c.,

80.