CO129-524-1 Reports of Salaries Commission 31-12-1929 - 27-10-1930 — Page 114

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is in receipt of a salary of $450 per mensem.

(11) Under paragraph 57 in the Salaries

Commission Report three Office Attendants are recommended

for the following scale of pay. One at $26 to $30 per

mensem and two at $21 to $25 per mensem. Ten Messengers

and four Coolies are recommended for pay at $13 to $17 per

mensem.

mensem.

For the purpose of comparison I may mention that

the No.1 Office Attendant (or Office Boy as he is called)

in the Union Insurance Society of Canton, Ltd., in the Marine

Department receives $32 per mensen and the No.2 $27 per mensem. The No.1 in the Fire Department receives $26 per

There are seven other Office Boys employed who

receive the following scale. One at $18, five at $17 and

one at $16 per mensem. There are 16 Coolies and Messengers

employed in the Office who receive the following wage. One at $17, two at $15, ten at $14 and three at $13 per

mensem. The above mentioned Office Boys, Coolies and

Messengers receive half a month's wage at China New Year and

in addition they are allowed free quarters.

(12) The Commissioners recommended that the

least wage paid to a labourer in the Government employ should be $12 per mensem though in most cases they recommended a

commencing wage of 13 per mensem. I take it that the

Chamber of Commerce do not agree with this recommendation.

I would here mention that a Chair Coolie on the Peak cannot

be engaged for less than $14 per mensem and in addition he

must be allowed free living quarters. It is hard to gather

how the Chamber can disagree with the recommendation cited

above. Possibly the members of the Committee had not time

to consider many cases individually.

Yours faithfully,

(Signed) Paul Lauder.

Hon. Mr. E.R. Hallifax, C.M.G., C.B.E.,

Hong Kong.