CO129-599-4 Salaries Commission- 1947 Report 1-1-1947 - 31-12-1949 — Page 70

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CHAPTER IX.

INTERCHANGEABILITY WITH MALATA.

Liaison with Malayan Salarics Commission.

176.

We kept in touch with the Malayan Salaries Commission not only by correspondence but also by visits to Singapore paid by the Chairman and by Mr.T.Mogarry. Mr.D.J.ŝloss flow to Malaya on 22nd April, returning on 4th May. He had two days of consultations with Sir Harry Trustod, Chairman of the Halayan Salarics Commission and discussed with him various problems likely to face both Commissions. As Sir Harry Trusted had at this time only recently arrived in Malaya it was decided that the Hong Kong Commission should send a representative to Malaya at the boginning of July, by which time the Malayan Comission expected to have completed the hearing of evidence in the Malayan Union and to be receiving representations in Singapore. Mr.Megarry accordingly loft by air for Singapore on 6th July. He had conferences on 9th and 10th with the Chairman and the two official members of the Malayan Commission and attended sessions of the Commission from 8th to 11th July while it was taking ovidence. On 10th July ho addressed the Commission at length at Sir Harry Trusted's invitation on the work of the Hong Kong Commission up to date and answered members' questions. A full interchange of views was thus achieved. lir.Mogarry also had discussions with the Colonial Secretary, Singapore, before returning to Hong Kong on 13th July. An invitation was sent to Sir Harry Trusted for a Laber of the Hlayan Commission to visit Hong Kong during the early part of August when the Hong Kong Commission's Report and proposed salary scales were in preliminary draft but the date suggested unfortunately did not fit in with the Malayan Commission's programme.

Interchangeability between Malaya and Hong Kong.

177.

It is our opinion that there are definite limits to the extent to which it would be practicable ur, in viow of the policy or providing access into the services for local officers, even desirable to arrange for the interchango of officers betweon Malaya and Hong Kong. It is clear that the only officers who could be compulsorily transferred from one Colony to the other are those who are members of the Unifica Colonial Services who are liable to be transferred anywhere within the Colonial Service. Other officers could only be trans- ferred voluntarily and would presumably only agree to transfer if it meant promotion. It might even be necessary to grant expatriation pay to local officers if they were transferred. It does not appear to us on balanco that any great benefits would be derived by either Colony from the interchange of officers who are not members of the Unified Colonial Services. There should be sufficient similarity of scales of pay and conditions of service as the result of our consultations in Malaya to make any voluntary transfers a matter of no great difficulty. Closer liaison could be achieved between the two territories by more frequent visits of senior officials to discuss problems of mutual interest and in certain cases short term socondments might prove of value in the training of specialist officers.

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