CO129-603-1 Education Department- revised grant code 5-2-1947 - 14-4-1948 — Page 81

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EDUCATION DEPARTMENT,

HONG KONG.

(5)

With regard to your paragraph 4 the oversea allowance and the charge allowance are at a fixed rate, i.e. £100 oversea allowance and £150 charge allowance for men and £70 oversea allowance and £150 charge allowance for women. There is no sliding scale for charge allowance or oversea allowance. The amounts shown as increases in the detailed statement attached to the Governor's Savingram No.120 of 14th March represent the net increase over the maximum of £600 per annum. In illustration take the case of Goodban whose present salary on the amended Code would be £510 plus £150 charge allowance plus £100 oversea allowance. The addition of charge allowance alone brings his salary to £660, i.e. £60 above the £600 which he would get on the old scale. This is shown as Increase due to charge allowance £60 in paragraph B (a). The oversea allowance of £100 increases the total salary over the £600 maximum by a further £100. In the case of Miss Hurrell her salary on the amended scale is £456 and with the addition of £150 for charge allowance becomes £6 over the maximum of £600 and oversea allowance makes £70 further increase.

I hope this is sufficiently clear to explain the varying figures in the increases due to charge allowance and oversea allowance

I am as shown in the detailed statement of revised expenditure. attaching to this letter a statement of the position together with a complete list of all those who have been assessed on the Burnham Scale. Their names are prefaced with letters in red ink which signify:-

C-

Charge allowance.

Oversea Allowance.

M-

Married.

Jocally domiciled.

R-

Member of religious order.

M, I, and R do not qualify for oversea allowance.

The situation is further complicated by the fact that two Headteachers are not qualified for the Burnham Scale and,being locally

They are Mrs. W.K.Cheung, domiciled, ret only £150 charge allowance. Headmistress of Heen Tunn School and Er. Tim Hoy Lan, Headmaster Wah Yan College, Kowloon.

In the original lists (a) and (b) only those who, on receipt of the proposed allowances, would obtain salaries greater than £600 per annum were included. Stapleton has a salary at present of £480 which with the £100 oversea allowance brings him to £580, involving no increase.

Smith is a similar case. Both, however, would gain salaries above £600 when on the maximum and are therefore included in list (b)only.

In the case of Goodban, on account of the courses he took during training and his qualifications, his salary was assessed at £510 by £15 to £600 and this figure would be covered by an amended rara.10 as suggested earlier.

your letter.

I hope that this will resolve the difficulties set out in

Yours sincerely,

IRRowell.

J. McD. Robison, Esq.

Colonial Office,

Palace Chambers,

Bridge Street, London, S.W.1. England.