CO129-569-7 Revision of salaries 6-7-1938 - 11-10-1938 — Page 21

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reductions in salaries, but to fix rates (regard-

less of former scales of salary) which would

represent a fair and reasonable addition to

the salaries of officers whilst they are

actually serving in Hong Kong, the salaries

themselves being based on the West African

scales.

fall agam

Paragraph 13. I suggest that the

ideal "cost of living" or "residential" allowance

should not start at nil and rise gradually

there is really no sense in paying any officer

a cost of living allowance of £4 a year. A

greater objection to the scheme proposed in

the report is that after an officer reaches

£1,000 a year the practical effect of the

scheme is to reduce the amount of his incre-

ments. I think that there should be provision

for some reasonable payment to all "time-scale"

conformed, officers, whether on probation or preferment

since, granted that the expense of living in

Hong Kong is higher than in West Africa, the

extra expense falls on an officer during the

whole of his resident service. I accept the

view that the extra cost of living bears less

heavily on officers in receipt of higher

salaries, and the correct thing to do is, I

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think to give a percentage of salary on the

( first so many £, a smaller percentage on the

next so many £, and a minimum percentage on the

balance, subject to a maximum amount on which

allowance is payable, the percentages to be

arranged so that no officer receives more

salary