XN000022-1975-07-24 — Page 6

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STATEMENT ON CLERKS

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THURSDAY, JULY 24, 1975

THE ACTING SECRETARY FOR THE CIVIL SERVICE. MR. TONY HAMMOND SAID THIS MORNING THAT THERE WAS NO RECORD OF ANY STATEMENT BEING MADE ABOUT CLERKS +NORMALLY GIVING ONLY 70 PER CENT SERVICE+

IN A CIRCULAR TO MEMBERS THE CLERICAL ASSOCIATION ALLEGED THAT THIS WAS SAID BY MR. SCOTT TO THE PRESS ON JULY 3.

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MR. HAMMOND SAID: +1 AM SURE THAT MR. SCOTT WOULD NEVER HAVE MADE SUCH A REMARK.+

REFERRING TO REPORTED COMMENTS MADE BY DR. DENNY HỦANG THAT THE GOVERNMENT REFUSED TO GIVE THE CLERKS MORE MONEY LAST YEAR, THE ACTING SECRETARY FOR THE CIVIL SERVICE POINTED OUT THAT CLERKS, ALONG WITH ALL OTHER CIVIL SERVANTS, RECEIVED SALARY INCREASES FROM APRIL 1, 1974.

COMMENTING ON THE REMARK THAT CLERKS GET ABOUT THE SAME AS +ROADSWEEPERS+, MR. HAMMOND SAID THAT THE JOBS WERE SIMPLY NOT COMPARABLE. THE SALARY RANGE FOR THE CLERICAL CLASS IS $615 TO $2,410 A MONTH AND THOSE FOR URBAN SERVICES STAFF RESPONSIBLE FOR CLEANING THE STREETS IS $745 TO $765 A MONTH. THEY ALSO RECEIVE CERTAIN ALLOWANCES.

AMBULANCE SERVICE HAS HECTIC DAY

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THE AMBULANCE COMMAND OF THE FIRE SERVICES DEPARTMENT IS CALLED OUT ABOUT 400 TIMES A DAY TO ASSIST PEOPLE IN DISTRESS.

SINCE THE BEGINNING OF THE CURRENT FINANCIAL YEAR, THE CALL RATE PER DAY HAS AVERAGED 369, COMPARED WITH 299 DURING THE SAME PERIOD LAST YEAR. THIS REPRESENTS AN INCREASE OF 23 PER CENT.

DURING THE PAST 24 HOURS ENDING AT 7 A.M. TODAY (THURSDAY), THE NUMBER OF CALLS REACHED A RECORD 440 - TWO MORE THAN THE PREVIOUS HIGH RECORDED ON MAY 19 THIS YEAR.

OF THE TOTAL, 371 WERE EMERGENCY AND 69 NON-EMERGENCY CALLS. THE KOWLOON UNIT WAS THE BUSIEST WITH 153 EMERGENCY AND 54 NON- EMERGENCY CALLS. ON HONG KONG ISLAND, 123 EMERGENCY AND 15 NON- EMERGENCY CALLS WERE RECEIVED, WHILE 95 EMERGENCY CALLS WERE ANSWERED IN THE NEW TERRITORIES,

AT PRESENT. THERE ARE NINE AMBULANCE DEPOTS THROUGHOUT HONG KONG WITH A FLEET OF 86 AMBULANCES. ANOTHER FIVE AMBULANCES WILL SOON COME INTO SERVICE. THE AMBULANCE COMMAND HAS A STRENGTH OF ABOUT 550 AT PRESENT.

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