CO129-509-4 Hong Kong Government officers- conditions of service and pensions 20-1-1928 - 17-9-1928 — Page 15

T

MEMORANDUM ON HONG KONG PENSIONS.

15-

[The w.ro.

Pennin

law is also unsatisfactory, hn Harding reggeshing that

this also

be re cast

in

named

on

recognised lies]

The Hong Kong Pension Minute differs considerably from the generally accepted form of modern Colonial Pension legislation, and it would be advantageous in many ways, particularly from the point of view of dealing with

cases of officers with "mixed" service, if it could be

re-cast on the lines of one of the recent models, such

as the East African, Fiji or Palestine Ordinances.

Apart however from any general considerations,

there are certain pints in which the present minute is

regarded as unsatisfactory, and which are raised in

various despatches from the Governor.

In particular, the rates of pension for European

officers are considered inadequate, partly owing to the

comparative lowness of the emoluments on which they are based, and partly owing to the method of calculation.

To meet the first point, the Governor proposes

to include the value of free quarters or rent allowance

in pensionable emoluments, and no objection need be raised to this. As regards the second point, the present

rate for Europeans and non-Europeans is 1/720th of salary

for each month of service plus 5/60ths climatic allowance.

Officers may be compulsorily retired at 55. The Governor

points out that under the present regulations an officer

who enters the service at the normal age of 25 must serve

until he is 60 in order to qualify for the maximum 2/3rds

pension. He considers that the regulations should be so framed that the ordinary European officer should be

eligible for approximately a 2/3rds pension on reaching

the normal retiring age. With this in view, he proposes

that each month of service should be counted as two after

completion