CO129-600-3 Salaries Commission- proposed Public Services Commission 1-4-1949 - 31-12-1949 — Page 12

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It does not seem to me to be appropriate to spring this demand on the Governor without some reference to the previous correspondence, some of which is directly relevant to it. In the despatch at No. 3 on -/48

commented (para. 36)) on the recommendation in para. 172

of the report of the Salaries Commission that the Public Services Commission "should be authorised to make recommendations for the filling of all vacancies in the public services of the Colony", ur

Our comment that "for a considerable time to come it will no doubt be necessary, by agreement between the Governor and the Secretary of State, for certain posts

to be reserved for overseas candidates" was inserted with the consideration mentioned in Sir C. Jeffries minute at No.8 on this file, very much in mind. That it was not made more explicit was I think due to the fact that no very clear conclusions had then been reached in the Colonial Office as to the kind of posts in the Colonial Service which should be so reserved.

This is borne out by the fact that our similar comments at the end of para. 3(c) had relation to "new appointments", whereas the comment in para. 3(b) was quite general.

In para. 4 of his despatch at No. 6 on -/48 the Governor said that "it would be wrong in principle, and contrary to the policy set out in Colonial Paper 197 to reserve certain posts ....for overseas candidates".

Unfortunately however when we wrote to the Governor at No. 2 on this file and when subsequently considering his reply at No. 4 our minds were so much directed to the conception of maintaining an adequate leavening of Europeans in the administration of Hong Kong that we did not think of also making the point to which Sir C. Jeffries has drawn attention in his minute at 8.

But having regard to this previous correspondence I think that the draft telegram will have to be amended as I have indicated.

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