CO129-558-8 Revision of salaries 19-8-1936 - 11-2-1937 — Page 89

Mr Came

Mr Comple

M.

Acheson.

89

I should be glad S

Sj

Jom

view.

Lowell

31-7

E. 79. p.42.

do p. 54.

It has been suggested that the present need

to review the level of salaries of the Public Service

in Hong Kong should be utilised to propose to the

Governor that all salaries should be expressed in

Hong Kong dollars, instead of the present dual system

under which the salaries of posts which are normally filled by recruitment from England are expressed in

filled by local recintment sterling, while those of subordinate offices

offices/ar

are

expressed in dollars.

Until 1903 salaries in Malaya and Hong Kong

were expressed in dollars both the Straits and Hong

Kong currencies being at that time simple silver

currencies; and it was not until 1906 that the Straits

dollar was fixed in terms of sterling.

As a result of complaints from the Service

in Malaya in 1900, regarding the inadequacy of their

salaries, Sir Frank Swettenham, the then High Commis-

sioner for the Malay States, advised the Secretary of State (Mr. Chamberlain) that he had years before

recommended very strongly that all salaries of

Europeans in the native States should be expressed in

sterling, and that even now the best and safest policy

would be to put the salaries in sterling, abolish the

fictitious high rates of sterling exchange which had

grown to be payable in respect of leave and pension,

and to pay leave salaries and pensions upon the actual

sterling salaries drawn. He later said (page 54)

"From every point of view it seems clear unless the

officers of this Service are to receive their salaries

in silver only" (i.e. expressed in dollars) "that

while resident in the Colony or on leave in England

or elsewhere, or after retirement on pension, they

should