CO129-577-8 Junior Clerical Service- petition for improvements in salaries and conditions of service 6-7-1939 - 19-12-1939 — Page 53

11.

(c)

(a)

"We consider that after six years completed service

is a reasonable stage at which an officer might expect that his pay should be sufficient to enable him to lead, in decent comfort, the ordinary domestic married life of his grade in society

The next increase of importance comes after a further six

years' service. An employee with twelve years' service

to his credit will, if he is promoted to Class II, receive

$2000 a year, as against $1775 the year before.

After this, with about $200 a month (say, 62/6d a week)

an employee should be tolerably comfortable even if he is

by no means very well off.

Thus remunerated, he is more likely to remain in the

Service and so the number of life-long civil servants will

increase. It is supremely desirable for this Colony to

have a community of contented and loyal Chinese Civil Servants

with a tradition of long government service behind it.

13.

1929, states :-

That paragraph 53 of the Salaries Commission Report,

"We would call attention to the question which arises as to the number of officers who should appear in each of the Classes. We understand that a scheme is already in force for the gradual increase in the numbers of the senior classes so that the proportion between senior and junior posts may be adequate. We consider that this scheme should continue and that a similar re-adjustment should be made periodically."

In view of the statements contained in Paragraph 4 of this Petition (especially 4G and 4H), your petitioners respectfully

beg a revision of the existing scheme for the gradual increase

of the number of posts in the senior classes.

14.

That the case for a commencing salary of at least

$50 a month is a very strong one. It is a fundamental thesis

of this petition that the amour propre and dignity of this branch

of His Majesty's Service should be safeguarded. This is best

effected at the point when an employee enters the service, be-

cause thesc impressionable first years very often determine the