CO129-599-1 Salaries Commission 8-12-1947 - 22-12-1947 — Page 260

Secretariat File No:

15/1527/46

SAVINGRAM

To the Secretary of State for the Colonies

From the Governor, Hong Kong.

262

173

Replind &

(197)

- sea

Date

9th January, 1948.

No.

Staff.

(126) on '47

RECEIVED

16 JAN 1948

C. O. MEGY

47 file (Pt 1)My telegram No. 1784 of 22nd November, 1947.

1.

Salaries Commission Report Paragraph 104.

Government Chemist and Assistant Government Chemist (Monopoly)

The Commission recommended that these two officers in the

Imports and Exports Department should receive the same salary scales as

the Government Chemist and the Assistant Government Chemists in the

Medical Department, i.e., £1425 plus £250 expatriation pay for the

Government Chemist and £750 rising to £1155 plus expatriation pay of

£150 rising to £200 for the Assistant Government Chemist. The Govern-

ment Chemist (Monopoly), Mr. H. A. Taylor, is at present on leave prior

to his retirement which will become effective on 23rd April, 1948. The

Assistant Government Chemist (Monopoly) Mr. D. E. Davis has been acting

as Government Chemist since Mr. Taylor's departure on leave.

2. The establishment position has recently been reviewed and it

has been decided that for the present owing to the abolition of the

opium monopoly and other factors there is insufficient justification for

more than one qualified chemist in the Imports and Exports Department.

The possibility of creating a Chemical Department independent of both

Medical and Imports and Exports Departments has been considered and

rejected. It is considered undesirable to arrange for all chemists to

be in the Medical Department and for the Medical Department to second a

chemist to the Imports and Exports Department as required in view of the

fact that the duties of the chemist in the Imports and Exports Depart-

ment are administrative as well as technical.

3. It is recommended therefore that the chemist in the Imports

and Exports Department, whose responsibilities are greater than those

of an Assistant Government Chemist but not as great as those of the

Government Chemist, Medical Department, should be on a fixed salary of

£1200 per annum plus £200 per annum expatriation pay and that the

establishment should be reduced from two to one. The present holder

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