20.1.44
(i) In the case of an expatriate Officer retiring on pe
if, as it would appear from paragraphs 7 and 33 of the Extablishment Qiriger's letter of the 15th Jammry, 1948, the intention is that pensions shall be computed on a dollar besta, the same uncertainty would apply as to his emolumenta in retirement as would apply to those of the serving Offices. A persion of £500 a year computed, on rotirement, with the dollar on the basis of 1/3 to the pound, might dwindle over- night, in value in vounds sterling, to £250 a year if the proposals as they at present stand were accepted.
(lli)
7.
hore is a further aspect of the matter to which the Council Ciders that it is ita duty, how ver difficult, to draw on: namely, that there exista e possibility of the
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reloc ion of the Colony of Hạng Kong to China. remote tal contingency say appear to be at the prosent juneture, eros und political developments are sometimes prealpitated by foreseen events, and a prudent orrice: cannot dianize from auslösretion, at modumonts are being hised, the possibility that, whether in two or in tea or in
time when his
Officers in the Hong Kong a Service might be faced with
aty yours' time, the expatriate a relatively sudden serinson of their appointments. The Council is aware that, in sixar ciroustances in Burme provision hes reostly boɛn for the rent to such Officers, in sdŭition to their pions, computed in pounds sterling, of a gratuity on abolitan of office. grataition have skuilarly been compated in ounds sterling,
Such and the Officers have been able sosething reasonably subtanti so into a new life.
62
ave the Service with
then over the cheam
If, howey, in Hong ...
their
Such 19sion of
should be admitted that expatriate Officer the principle my right to rummeration other than in dollare no longer probable prospects, in such anavent as the reta the Colny, would be extremely misvourable. sion would undoubtedly imply an ultimate, if not an etroces-- unification of the currencies of viong Kong and of Chiganədləte, and the very prospect of such retpeession becoming imaj would undoubtedly have a profoundly adverse effect both nont the local purchasing power of the Hong Kong dollar, an its rate of exchange with other curæncies. In much stances the prospect of the payment of some millions of Collars as a gratuity is not one to which any serving Off. cớ look forward with anything other than th
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On the abe grounds, while the Council fully admite desirality of the reoval of any semblance of avoidable disoria,stion as betwɛn locally recnated and expatriate Officers in their scales requestion, it must, in representing the interests of expatriate Offices, the vast majority of whom are British, request that the positum simll be clarified. These Officers came from Great Britain work in Hong Kong on salaries based on the currency of Great Britain) it would
appear that they have an implied contractual right to sont to be paid on such a basis. The continuation of such an arrang does not of neocmity imply disoriaination, since the adjusted t remuration of expatriate and local officers to a coxon mosle precluded thereby. And the overriding contractual obligation in›llow thant Government shall not call upon Officers to apt, receiving any safeguarding sssurmoas, la favour of such obenge in basis of their emoluments and in the security of prospects,
time when it is well known that mat Offisers seriously in need of the improved sealss of remuneration which ♬ offer::de
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