CO129-511-6 Salaries and conditions of service of government staff 27-4-1928 - 2-11-1928 — Page 32

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prejudge the issue and ceteris paribus it would

seem wiser to leave these adjustments over and

allow the Salaries Commission a definitely free hand

to review the existing scales. The immediate cost

of the adjustments proposed are only £750, £200. and £300 respectively. The advantage derived,

would be therefore, by individual officers is so small that

postponement would not be a hardship to them.

Moreover they would benefit in the interim period

by the new scheme of exchange compensation.

(3) The personnel of the Commission.

The Governor proposes that the Chief Justice should

be the Chairman of the Commission, that the member-

ship should be kept small, and that he should seek

to obtain the services of three unofficial business

men of whom one would be Chinese.

I doubt very

much whether a local Commission of this sort is a

proper body to undertake so detailed and comprehensive

an investigation. It seems to me that the task of

reviewing the salaries and allowances of all the

public servants in Hong Kong and of exploring various questions connected therewith will, if it is to be promptly and adequately carried out, require

the whole time of the Commissioners. Experience

The exisling Sal. (tu. in

shows, e.g./Ceylon, that Commissioners who can only spare part of their time for these duties and who

have to carry on their normal affairs simultaneously soon get weary of the business though they may take

eille it up with enthusiasm; the result is a sequence of hasty and ill-considered decisions which are unfair to the services whose interests are temporarily in

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There are two further points:-

(a) that they begin their task full of their

local