CO129-599-2 Salaries Commission- 1947 Report 1-1-1947 - 31-12-1949 — Page 43

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and from members of the Senior Clerical Service in regard to the small number of higher posts to which they can aspiro. Aftor considering these ropresentatio s and obtaining evidence on the present organisation of clerical work within the public service and bearing in mind the policy contained in the Colonial Office Whito Paper wo recommend tho dis- continuance of the present system of three separate clerical servicos, ono staffed mainly by Chinese officers, one by local non-Chinese officers and one by European officers and the substitution therofox of a General Clerical Service open to candidates of cll rocos. For this service we recommend that now candidates should be solocted by competitive oxamination which should only be open to persons in possession of the Hong Kong School Looving Certificate or somo higher qualification. Wo consider that this competitivo oxamination should include an intelligence test and should not be exclusively in proscribed subjects. Wo have proposed a two your period of probation during which time probationcr clerks should be given the opportunity of training both in clerical and accounting duties. On the clerical side probationer clerks would be required to have a reasonable knowledge of General Orders and of Governmental routine. On the accounting cido they should bo given the opportunity of learning the principles of bookkeeping and of the Government accounting system. At the end of their probationer period, we recommend that they should be required to pass an examination in these subjects before boing admitted to the permanent establishment.

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Ro recommend the division of the General Clerical Service into four grados grade III on a scale rising from $1800 per annum to $2580 gredo II from $2760 to $4200, grade I from $4500 to $6000, and a special grade from $6360 to 08160. Each grade should be separated by a promotion bar, but the ratio of posts as grades I and II

to those in grade III should be such as to ensure that a clerk of reasonable officioncy could look forward to reaching the top of grade I before retirement even if he did not receive further promotion. We recommend that promotion to the special grado should be reserved for clorks of exceptional morit including those with long scrvice and excellent records who may not be suitable for promotion to the executivo grado roforred to bolow and those who have specialised in interproting, shorthand or accounting. We anticipate that in the course of time the necessity for retaining this grade except for spcciclists will tond to disappear in view of the opport- unity for promotion from tho Gonorel Clerical Service to the cxecutivo grado.

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