CO129-503-6 Vacancies for schoolmasters- difficulty in filling posts- terms of appointment and service 17-3-1927 - 15-11-1927 — Page 19

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I think the point Love is that the starking stated in Salary our p. of p., does not look to attractive as

any

the Cafrican scales

RN

This is important

AN

I have also discussed with Major

Furse, and subsequently with you, his suggestions for amplifying the opening

sentence of paragraph 9 as to the financial

aspects. You are aware that the Hong

Kong Government considers even the commencing salary as fully adequate to enable an unmarried man to live a reasonable life, and either to save money or else indulge in very much more expensive recreations

than he could hope to indulge in in

England. Moreover, the Time Scale runs

from £400 to £800 and there are higher

appointments on a scale of £850 to £1100

ought to I think you agree that these salaries are be sufre un cly

not attractive (even when expressed in sterline) to a young man completing his course at

и

21 or 22 just Unis.

I pointed out to you, moreover,

that the scheme for the local payment in dollars of these sterling salaries really

amounts to officers receiving the equivalent (at current rates of exchange)

of very much higher sterling salaries, and

that the comparative lack of attraction of

the Hong Kong scales on paper was no doubt largely due to the failure on the part of

candidates to realise the actual facts of

the case. For example, the rate of

exchange is at present about 2/s. to the

dollar and, in accordance with the

exchange scheme, the commencing salary of

£400 is represented by a local payment of

$4,800.