500
THE HONG KONG WEEKLY PRESS &
March 27, 1936
Over Fourteen Million Dollars For Salaries
62
arrangement which cannot afford a final solution. It may well be too sudden or too drastic a reduc- tion in personnel must necessarily itnpair to some extent the existing high efficiency of the Administra- tion. But just as it would be suicidal for a business concern to strive to attain the ideal of effi- ciency without taking due heed of bankruptcy, so I submit Govern- ment must restrict its cost of Ad- ministration within the limits of ine Colony's capacity to pay.
I submit therefore that Govern- menu should not engage any more persons on Sterling basis without consulting this Council; that no vacancy should be filled without similar consultation; that facilities be given to all officers recently re- cruited and not absolutely indis- pensable to leave the Service with- out subjecting the Colony to any liability to pensions, and that a real effort be made to utilise local talent, such as qualified doctors fror. ti e University of Hong Kong, etc. But in this connection would like to make one suggestion. BRIBERY MUST BE STAMPED OUT
I
For the sake of the reputation of the Government Service bribery or other irregular practice must be stamped out, and I venture to think that all new men employed should be engaged on the clear and distinct basis that their ser- vice is liable to be terminated if the Governor in Council, after en- quiry, should be of the opinion that their continuance in office is ¡etrimental to the interests of the Colony. Indeed, I consider that this rule should apply to the whole Service. I say this because, to my mind, and having regard to local conditions, it is quite futile to ex- pect that, generally speaking, such evidence of bribery or corruption will be forthcoming as will secure
verdict of guilt in a Court of ew. I do not see why, when the overnment wishes to dispense ith the services of an undesirable nployee, there should be required e same proof of guilt as would cure a conviction in a Court of ustice. All servants of the Gov- inment should know that they ust be above suspicion of any rrupt practice, and I cannot see hy they should be retained if the overnor in Council, after careful quiry, should have reasonable 'round for thinking that such practice has been committed, even in the absence of such proof as is necessary in a Court of Justice.
a criminal prosecution, and the question as to what are the cir- cumstances under which an em- ployer should be entitled to ter- minate a contract of service, are entirely different, and should not be confused.
OVERSTAFFED
AND OVERPAID
To my mind the Civil Service is not only overstaffed, but in many individual cases grossly overpaid. and I feel that until this funda- mental defect in Administration has been remedied, it is a matter for regret that it should be neces- sary to call upon all the civil ser- vants to bear a sacrifice which. no doubt, works great hardship in individual cases. And this regret is all the greater when we reflect that this necessity would not have arisen this year if Government had only acceded to the unanimous and urgent businesslike request of the unofficial members-about which I understand my Honour- able friend, the Senior Unofficial Member, will speak-to fix Ex- change forward for all the 1936 Sterling commitments. Moreover, until this defect is remedied Gov- ernment obviously is not in a posi- tion to find the necessary money for
various necessary projects. For instance, malaria is still ram- pant in the Colony, and I would like to see half a million, or even a million, dollars devoted in one year to eradicating this disease. But salaries having absorbed over fourteen million, where is the money to come from?
I apologise for the time I have taken up this afternoon.
I beg to move the Motion stand- ing in my name, and respectfully commend it to the consideration of this Council.
SIR HENRY POLLOCK'S
SPEECH
In supporting the Hon. Mr. Lo's resolution the Hon. Sir Henry Pollock said:-
Your Excellency,-I have much pleasure in seconding this motion which has the unanimous support of the Unofficial Members.
My Honourable friend, Mr. M. K. Lo,
is to be congratulated upon the trouble which he has taken in looking up and presenting to this Council the illuminating figures which he has just laid before us in regard to the very large expendi- ture of this Colony upon the salar- ies and pensions of Civil Servants.
I submit that the question as to This heavy burden demands the what constitutes proof of guilt in serious attention of the Govern-
ment at the present time when a marked trade depression synchron- izes with an unbalanced Budget.
In my Budget speech, on the 3rd October last, speaking on behalf of all the Unofficial Members, I said (see Hansard 1935, p. 180):-
retrenchment, We
"Regarding
are glad to learn that the Govern- ment is carefully considering whe- ther it is necessary to fill up Posts as vacancies occur. Our Staff of Civil Servants is a very large one, even after making the fullest al- lowance for the fact that the Goy- ernment has also to perform the duties of a Municipality. Indeed it is considered by some that we have too many Regulations in this Colony and too large a staff of Subordinate Officers fussing about and worrying people regarding the meticulous observance of the Re- gulations. Also the prevalent no- tion that Police Officers and Sanit- ary Inspectors acquire merit by prosecuting people is apt to ren- der the Government unpopular and to make the man in the street consider that we could do with fewer of such Officers."
In the same debate my Honour- able friend, Sir William Shenton. recommended (Hansard P.188) "a careful survey of every branch of the Government servicę with view to effecting substantial econo- mics."
UNOFFICIALS IN AGREEMENT
a
In the course of his speech, in support of the motion now before the Council, the mover indicated certain directions in which he sug- gèsts that economics might be effected in various Departments, and I would like to add some re- marks with which my Unofficial colleagues are in general agree- ment.
Firstly, in regard to the Medical
notice Department, I
(at pages 30 and 31 of the Staff List which has recently been printed and sent by the Government to the Unor- ficial Members) that no less than 7 out of the 10 European Medical Officers, connected with the Hos- pital Division of the Medical De- partment, with salaries rising from £700 to £1180 per annum, have been appointed since the 1st Jan- uary, 1930. I conjecture that part of that large increase in the Hos- pital Medical staff is owing to the Government having, about 5 years ago, given to all Civil Servants, right up to the Governor, the pri- vilege of free Government Medi- cal attendance in their own homes. That privilege was formerly con- fined to Subordinate Officers,
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