CO129-600-4 Salaries Commission- comments on report 12-10-1947 - 15-12-1947 — Page 19

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Min Why

Thorkest in this afternoon opened t

Dear

wallure

h.

25/10

18

26

32, Canons Drive,

Edgware,

Middlesex,

23rd.October 1947.

With reference to your letter No.53723/47

dated 13th.October 1947 I find it difficult to comment on the Hong Kong Salaries Commission Report as I have as yet no knowledge of the background. A study of the report does, however, show what appears to be several anomalies so far as the social welfare posts are concerned.

Here again it is difficult to make specific recommendations as I note that a Department of Social Welfare has just been set up but its establishment is not included in the appendices to the Commission's report. In para.142 the Commission proposes that Welfare Officers should receive salaries equivalent to those proposed for teachers. This means that under the new scales an uncertificated woman welfare officer would receive $120 per month and an uncertificated male officer $150 per month with no prospect of promotion until they had obtained a Diploma in Sosial Science. The maximum of the scale would then appear to be $340 per month and $425 per month

respectively. These scales are, in my opinion, inadequate if the right type of candidate is to be attracted to the welfare service and the new department is to be established with a status commensurate with its importance. Social welfare officers are technical officers and as such require specialised training but it is important to emphasize that unless and until training facilities of a recognised standard exist locally it will be impossible even if it were desirable for all candidates for welfare posts to obtain Diplomas in Social Science in Universities abroad. At the same time new entrants to the service in addition to possessing those personal qualities essential in a social worker, should be of a type capable of receiving such training. As they would also normally be older than the average new teacher I should very much doubt whether the salary scale proposed would attract candidates of the required calibre.

According to the scales set out in the Commission's report a probationer nurse receives a higher salary and appears to have much better chances of promotion than a welfare officer. It is also interesting to note that Hospital Almonets, whose training should include a course of study leading to a Social Science Diploma, have been placed in a scale considerably higher than that proposeed for welfare officers. An Assistant Almoner starts at $360 per month and rises to 540 and can presumably expect promotion to Almoner on the scale $570 $820 per month.

I am unable to comment more usefully on the question of welfare salaries unti I have seen the structure of the new Department of Social Welfare and I should like to know the views of the Director on this subject.

Although the Commission states that it excluded from consideration any questions of departmental reorganisation I presume the the Director of Social will be

Welfare