Sessional_Paper_1901 — Page 644

[ 38 ]

Enclosure No. 2.

MINUTE BY THE CAPTAIN SUPERINTENDENT OF POLICE.

Honourable COLONIAL SECRETARY.

I herewith forward a draft scheme for the classification of the whole subor- dinate service. From the classification have been eliminated,-

All Officers on the Temporary Staff.

Ail Interpreters, as these will be dealt with under the Interpretation Scheme. And a number of other appointments not of a clerical nature which are set out in the list of Offices excluded attached to the classification.

Appointments which were included in the original classification forwarded in Governor's despatch No. 440 of 1900 are lettered in black.

Those in red have been added in order to make the classification as complete as possible for the whole Service. These include many appointments filled by Chinese, and us the salaries of Chinese Government Servants were revised recently, I may say at once that I see no great advantage in adding so largely to the scheme of classification.

I have not touched the subject of a systematization of allowances of the Subordinate Officers. The principal allowances are: (a) House allowance, and (b) Conveyance allowance.

The question of the rate of house allowances throughout the Service is, understand, engaging the attention of the Government, and conveyance allowances are already fixed at a uniform rate per coolie throughout the Service.

I

There are some allowances peculiar to individual Departments as for instance, for sorting at the Post Office, and for fuel and light in the Medical Department. These I think may stand as they are.

The classification herein was approved by the Treasurer and circulated confi- dentially by him to Heads of Departments.

I attach their remarks, and regarding these have to make the following com- ments in which the Treasurer concurred.

Colonial Secretary's Office.

The salaries proposed in the classification are sufficient for the present staff or for any Portuguese staff in the future.

There seeins no object therefore in adopting the somewhat extravagant scale proposed by the Acting Assistant Colonial Secretary.

If the staff is re-organised, and Mr. Thomson and I think it requires re-orga nisation, then new clerks as engaged can be put into whatever class is deemed necessary.

We are both of opinion that an Officer should be permanently appointed Assistant Colonial Secretary.

My opinion is that the post of Chief Clerk should be revived and that the Officer should also be Clerk of Councils. The Assistant Colonial Secretary has more than enough to do without the latter appointment.

I believe that a clerk from the Registry at the Colonial Office should be the best selection for the post.

He might begin in Class II and be promoted to Class I if he gave satisfaction,

hereafter.

I don't know what Mr. Thomson's views were as to the chief clerkship but he was not in favour of getting a man from home.

Treasury.

Mr. Thomson recommended that Mr. Carvalho, the Cashier, should draw the maximum in his class on account of his long and faithful service. As Mr. Carva- lho fills the most responsible clerkship in the service, I agree in the recommen- dation.