CO129-612-2 Police Department- petition from European memebers of Inspectorate 29-1-1948 - 22-7-1949 — Page 36

NOTE

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1. This petition is addressed to the King by the European Inspectors Association of the Hong Kong Police Force; the representations it contains may be summarised as follows:

(a)

(b)

(0)

that after the petition has been decided

the petitioners should be given the chance of reconsidering their option for the revised salaries and conditions of service,

that increases in pay be granted to those

who opt to remain on the old terms;

that the revised scales of pay and allowances

be increased,

(a) that expatriation pay be increased,

(e) that Police Service in the British Isles

and all other Police service in the Colony before 1.1.47 be taken into consideration for purposes of pay and pension

(f) that the petitioners' former pension rights

and conditions be restored.

2. It will be convenint I think to examine these main points in turn in the light of the Governor's detailed comments on the petition:-

(a) the grounds for this claim are that the

petitioners were required to exercise their option before the new conditions were completely formulated. In fact, as the Governor points out and as is apparent from the circular letter addressed to all members of the Inspectorate informing them of the option, (enclosure 3 to (27)), all material changes proposed were brought to their notice. The only important point undecided was whether or not the age at which officers could be required to retire would be reduced to 45; in this respect due warning was given (paragraph 33 of circular letter) and there is therefore little force in the contention at A of paragraph 18 of the petition. Unless it should happen that the revised conditions are substantially altered as a result of the representations made in this petition, there seem to be no grounds for permitting the petitioners to reconsider the option for the revised salary and conditions and I think the reply to this point should be as the Governor suggests.

(b)

It cannot reasonably be held that the offer

of revised and improved salary and allowances was linked with intolerable or unwarranted changes in the general conditions of service; such changes of an unfavourable nature as have been made, e.g. in pension conditions and in perquisites, are more than offset by the improved salary and allowances. I see therefore no case for granting pay increases to those who do not opt to come on the new terms thus in efect abandoning

the