CO129-558-3 Levy on Salaries- petition from Chinese Civil Servants 3-1-1936 - 19-12-1936 — Page 35

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a, I mean it their nysessions en compies to the affecting 1 reduction (4) Y

misfunding new appni muents; (v) & allons offian

China and Hong Kong both coming off the silver

standard and fixing the exchange value of

their respective dollars on a managed basis

divorced from world silver prices.

The

rapid fall which has resulted in the sterling

value of the Hong Kong dollar from over 2s. to

ls. 3 d. would have brought to the sterling

officers a very considerable increase in the

dollar payments due to them locally in respect

of their sterling salaries, which could not,

of course, have been justified by any corresponding

dink increase in the local cost of living.

to retive voluntarily In heuriu. Mither

by this standard of what they would have

It is

received if no interference by Government had

intervened to stop their receiving the full

benefit of the ls.

dollar

3d. that they judge

the burden of the present levy • There is, as

the Governor admits, rather a special

inflection on those officers who have to make

sterling remittances home for payments to

for

families or insurance premiums, etc., and the

Governor mentions in paragraph 17 that he

contemplates a separate despatch dealing

with

such cases. No doubt he intends to make some

suggestion in their relief.

Finally, the petitioners devote

some attention to the alternative course open

to the Government of retrenchment of staff.

I must confess I have very little sympathy

with that point of view. No special impositions

on the salaries of public servants could be

justified which did not have strict regard to

the principle of equality of sacrifice, and

these expritisnts is objectionable.

the