CO129-602-3 Cost of living allowance 30-1-1947 - 17-9-1947 — Page 24

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3058297 L.A.C. MILLINGTON,

NO. 367 SIGNALS UNIT, ROYAL AIR FORCE,

HONG KONG.

7th August, 1947

22

MR. J.R. THOMAS,

c/o House of Commons,

London, England.

Dear Sir,

I realize that, in bringing the following matter to your attention, I am interfering in matters that are no concern of mine, but I think that the position of the Civil Servants in Hong Kong should be brought to the attention of some responsible person in the United Kingdom.

In the "Annual Report on Hong Kong for the year 1947", as published by the Government of Hong Kong in March, 1947, it is stated that "Other living costs have increased for all classes of the Community. For Europeans it is difficult to estimate the increase, but it can safely be said that it costs at least three times as much to maintain a standard of living considerably lower than that normal in 1941". However, despite this official estimate, the Government have only increased the salaries of Civil Servants to 60% for unmarried personnel, up to a maximum of £200 and 75% for married personnel, up to a maximum of £240 on the salaries paid in 1941.

Further an extract from the same publication states that "The policy of Government is to ensure that every opportunity shall be given to locally recruited persons not only to enter, but to fise in the service of the public up to the highest posts and to fulfil the highest responsibilities of which they are capable or can be assisted to become capable". The salaries paid to locally recruited personnel are such that the best and most efficient personnel are attracted to the higher paid posts in Commercial firms, and, although it is a credit to the police, the number of cases of bribery that have been tred in the Courts since the liberation must be rather a headache for any efficient Government. By this, I do not mean to infer that there are an unduly large number of cases, but the fact that there are cases of this nature is to be deplored.

If, by underpaying European personnel, the Government is attempting to "squeeze out" Europeans from Hong Kong by under paying them, this is rather a dasterly as most of the personnel now serving were with the Government Service before the arrival of the Japanese, and, after fighting in the local Volunteer force, they underwent 4 years of imprisonment by the Japanese, both in this Colony and in Japan.

Hoping that you will take action on the above matter,

I am, Sir,

Yours sincerely,

(Sgd.) G. Millington.