HONG KONG LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL.
55
Accounting Staff the same rose from 24 in 1923, to 63 in 1935; and that 52 additional Europeans have been employed since the date of the Retrenchment Commission Report in 1931.
May I respectfully ask what actual steps have been taken by Government to give effect to that policy, so "fully and frankly accepted by Government," of replacing wherever possible European by Asiatic employees? In this connection I would like to bring forward a case which happened to come to my knowledge a few weeks ago.
A certain Chinese from Canton recently saw me in connection with his application for the post of Assistant Government Analyst which was then vacant. His qualifications and references were unexceptionable. He duly sent in his application, but later he understood that a sterling man from England had just embarked to fill up this post. What steps did Government take to find a suitable man locally to fill up this post before resorting to engaging a new man in England?
I do respectfully press for an answer to this question, not in the interests of this particular applicant--indeed he was quite unknown to me but because it would show the nature of the effort which Government is stated to be making in carrying out the policy of reducing the number of sterling paid men in the financial interests of the Colony.
With reference to the statement of His Excellency Sir William Peel, already quoted above, on the question of Nursing Sisters, 1 confess I cannot understand why His Excellency should have regarded his own proposal, that local nursing sisters might be trained so as to "reduce the large number of sisters recruited from England," as a matter of mere "hope" and "possibility," in view of the fact that Hong Kong annually produces scores of nurses qualified according to the presumably high and exacting standard set by Government. In any case I venture to enquire what is the practical outcome of the deliberations between His Excellency and the Hon. the D.M.S.S.? According to the Estimates for 1936 there are fifty nursing sisters on the General Nursing Staff on sterling pay which, at Exchange 1s. 8d., amounts to $162,031.00. With a lower rate of exchange, and with the stipulated annual increments, this amount must of course substantially increase year by year.
From information given to me by those who have had actual experience I know that the skill, care, solicitude and devotion bestowed by those nursing sisters on their patients are beyond praise and cannot be measured in terms of any currency. Good nursing is indeed priceless. I gladly and gratefully record my sincere humble tribute to them. But I submit that the financial condition of the Colony renders the carrying out of Sir William Peel's project a matter not only of expediency but of urgency.
I understand that the present holder of the position of Secretary to the Hon. the Director of Public Works draws over £1,000 a year.
89
Page 90Page 91
No comments yet.
Private notes are available after approval.