CO129-615-1 Labour Department- future development 13-6-1946 - 11-11-1947 — Page 12

berermmer to

me

please.)

as early as possible

12

An. Baker

appears Ми

to be suitable

for this Hong Kong poor. Am. Grossmith

will, perhaps, comment

24/2/47.

Rhuse.

113 V.F.

Hullaster. 2:19/+7.

57619/1

Mr. Baker is on contract to Mauritius as Trade Union Adviser at a salary of £700 a year. His contract expires in July but the Governor of Mauritius is most anxious to know what Mr. Baker's future is to be, because of an anomalous situation which has arisen in regard to the post of Trade Union Advi ser to the Government vis-a-vis the Labour Commissioner. The former is not subject to the jurisdiction of the latter and the Governor sometimes receives conflicting advice from the officers holding these posts.

Ilamifican

The Governor/says:-

I consider that it should now be possible for the Trade Union Adviser to discharge the duties which are required of him if he were appointed to the staff of the Labour Department. To enable this to be done I propose that an additional post of Assistant Labour Commissioner should be included in the 1947-48 Estimates with salary in the scale Rs. 9,000 by 500 to Rs. 12,000.

I have already said that Mr. Baker has some of the qualifications for the post. For that reason I should prefer that it should be filled by an officer selected by you from the widest field of candidates. The qualifications which Mr.Baker possesses are a keen interest in his work and a wide knowledge of the subject. His handicap, a natural one considering his lack of experience, lies in his uncertainty in distinguishing between his loyalty to trade unionism and his duties as a civil servant. The post of Assistant Labour Commissioner (Trade Unions) will entail immediate and serious responsibilities, so that there will be little time or opportunity to learn by trial and error. I need hardly add that it is essential at this time that the administration should present to both employers and employed at least the appearance of solidity and stability.

Mr. Baker has already applied direct to your Department to be appointed permanently to the Colonial Service, and he has been informed that his name has been noted and that he will be considered

/with