CO129-599-1 Salaries Commission 8-12-1947 - 22-12-1947 — Page 353

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146

INWARD TELEGRAM

This document must be paraphrased if the communication of its contents to any person outside Government Service is authorised, Cypher

FROM HONG KONG (Sir A. Grantham

D. 10th December, 1947.

.R.

10th

". 13.40 hr.

11

III

DEL

13

IMMEDIATE

No. 1876 Secret. Part 1.

Addressed to S. of S.

THA BA

ΠΛ

ΙΛ

RECEIVED

IM

5372370

Repeated to Governor-General, No. 38 (please

pass to Gov. Singapore as No.122). Gov. Malayan Union, No.39.

11

(140/145)

Following telegram is in three parts.

Your telegrams Nos. 1876 and 1877.

Hong Kong Salaries Commission.

Unless

While I am grateful for assurance that recommendations in Report relating to salaries and allowances are in general acceptable to you, I am seriously perturbed by the effect of the proposed announcement, particularly if statement was included that recommendations would not in any case be implemented for further three months and that reservations were made in respect of professional time scale, expatriation pay and high cost of living allowances. You will appreciate that, in present conditions, the majority of officers are concerned solely with total emoluments which they receive and that basic salary and prospects of advancement up scale are only of minor importance. assurance can be given in the proposed announcment that only minor modifications in detail are proposed both in expatriation pay and high cost of living allowance rates, I am convinced that immediate result of the announcement as it stands followed by publication of the Report, would inevitably be widespread resignations and applications to retire from professional officers and strike of local staff who have been petitioning since the reoccupation for the revision of emoluments. In the case of lower grade staff, such announcement would mean that they would have to wait till March, 1948, for indeterminate benefits, instead of tangible increase in emoluments, which their fellows on daily pay received last August. In these circumstances, the situation would be untenable.

2.

As regards expatriation pay, while I appreciate that uniformity between the Far Eastern Territories is highly desirable, a graph with a detailed comparison of Hong Kong and Malayan rates has been prepared here which shows that, except between basic salaries of £(sterling)500 and £(sterling) 650, £650 (sterling) and £(sterling)700, £(sterling)800 and £(sterling)950, £(sterling)1,200 and £(sterling)1,400,

at the beginning of Hong Kong platform, Malayan rates higher than Hong Kong. Copies are being sent to (grp. omitted ? Governors) and to Governor General Malaya by air mail.

This graph shows that only minor modifications are

i.e. are

/needed