CO129-498-22 Leave and passage rules- petition of Hong Kong government service senior officers for a relaxation... 29-6-1926 - 16-10-1926 — Page 9

Hov. 22855/20

years. Lord Milner in his telegram of 18th May, 1920,

approved of the adoption by Hong Kong of the Malayan Scheme. To this Sir E. Stubbs replied in his telegram of 26th May,

Gov 26182 1920, that the scheme had been adopted "without important

modifications", though in fact a qualifying period of 4 years had been substituted for the Malayan 4 years.

5.

By comparison with most other British Colonies

the European officer here is handicapped

(a) by the greater length of time occupied by the voyage

to England: and

(b) by the greater cost of the passages.

I think, therefore, that it would be

reasonable to cut down the period from 4 to 4 years.

6.

I would also recommend that when an officer attains the age of 45 he should be considered eligible for free passages if he has completed three years resident service. There is no doubt that, as a man grows older, it is desirable that he should take leave more frequently. Moreover, the older he is the more likely is a part or the whole of his family to be in England.

7.

The cost of transport of Europe an officers of the Police Department was estimated for 1926 to amount to

$95,000 as against $150,000 for the rest of the service. As

police officers, not of executive rank, are allowed to retire

at 45 the extra expense for this Department would be limited

to the cases of senior officers and of the few others who

elected to serve beyond the age of forty-five.

The concession would in fact be of use in

inducing some of the more experienced and valuable members

of the police force to postpone their retirement.

As regards the rest of the service the fact

that an officer's children are generally at school in England

during