CO129-599-1 Salaries Commission 8-12-1947 - 22-12-1947 — Page 29

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The scale in the more unfortant

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higher than the Commission's from the 3rd to the 15th year, the same as the Commission's in the 16th year, below it in the 17th and 18th years and the same in the 19th year.

The increment of £60 now proposed after the two probationery years (instead of £30 as in the earlier proposals) is, I understand, well supported by Colonial Service practice. C.S.D. has no objection to adoption of the scale now proposed by the Governor.

The real reason for which, in my view, we ought to approve the scale the Governor now proposes is quite simply the general dissatisfaction in the Administrative Service with the Salaries Commission's proposals for them.- see Governor's open sentence in (244) and the last paragraph of (245). We have also had previous references- see paragraph 5 of (212). For various reasons approval of the administrative scale has been held up beyond approval of the others and I am sure it is of great psychological importance that what we now approve should at least not be less than what the Governor advises us is in itself bound to cause disappointment.

4. The real ground on which it is proposed to increase the number of super-scale posts is fairly clearly to improve prospects for the Administaative Service. C.S.D., I understand, feel that a mere comparison with the number of similar posts in Singapore is not a sufficient justification for proposing such an increase. A more detailed exposition of the duties which are likely to be performed by the holders of the postsis desirable.

Further it would, we feel, be very difficult to get both this proposal and that for the improved administrative scale (in itself not a very well supported one) past the Treasury as they stand, and we think we should press that, while telling the Treasury that we are not yet satisfied of the justification for the proposed increase in the super-scale posts. At our meeting on 5/5 Mr. Sloss agreed that the scale was the more important of the two proposals, safe that he personally appreciated the point about requiring further justification for the super-scale post proposal, and said that he would report the substance of our discussion to the Governor on his return to Hong Kong (later this month).

5. Reference para. 2 of (245), C.S.D. accepted the Governor's view about the salary of the Labour Commissioner. The Treasury will not be interested in this point.

6. I attach a draft letter to the Treasury

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together with a draft telegram to the Governor

I have added a reminder in my letter to

Mr. Serpell for his reply regarding Matrons'

salaries to my letter at (252).

7.