Sessional_Paper_1902 — Page 919

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SIR,

The Officer Administering the Government to the Secretary of State.

GOVERNMENT HOUSE,

HONGKONG, 4th September, 1902.

I have the honour to acknowledge the receipt of your despatch No. 171 of the 13th June on the subject of the introduction of sterling salaries into the Government service of this Colony, and I forward herewith the enclosed copies of the sterling scheme which has been revised in accordance with the instructions contained in your despatch.

2. This scheme is now being promulgated in the Colony under cover of a Circular, copy of which is enclosed.

3. Copies of the Circular and of the schedule of sterling salaries and instruc- tions enclosed are being sent to officers who are on leave of absence with a request that if they desire to join the scheme they will send their acceptances to the Crown Agents for the Colonies who will be communicated with at the same time and asked to pay

such officers at the new rates.

was set

4. With regard to the scheme itself I have to make the following remarks :— In the scheme of sterling salaries forwarded in Sir H. BLAKE's despatch

of the 11th of December last the remark "No quarters against the Principal Civil Medical Officer and all the Assistant Surgeons in the Medical Department, although the Principal Civil Medical Officer and Dr. BELL have quarters at the Government Civil Hospital and Dr. THOMSON draws a house allowance of $720 per

annum.

It appears that the reason was that it was intended that these officers when they came on the sterling basis should pay rent for the quarters they enjoy. This principle has not, however, been adopted in this Colony.

5. In addition to the quarters occupied by Drs. ATKINSON and BELL there will be, when the Victoria Hospital for Women and Children is completed, a third set of quarters available attached to that Hospital.

It will depend in the future, as it has in the past, on the nature of the duties -whether in immediate connection with one or other of these two hospitals or otherwise that a Medical Officer is engaged on, whether he will have free quarters allocated to him or not.

6. I suggest therefore that the salaries as fixed by you be left as they stand, and that the quarters be regarded as available for such officers as may be assigned to purely Hospital work.

Dr. THOMSON who is in charge of the Gaol and has therefore to live close to that institution and his successors in office should continue to draw the house allow - ance of $720 until such time as quarters near the Goal are provided.

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7. In the case of the Inspectors of Nuisances I have caused their salaries to be set down in the scheme at approximately the equivalents of their salaries in dollars with double exchange compensation, with their house allowances of $360 per annum thrown into salary at approximately 1s. 9d. to the dollar. I consider these salaries large enough. The rates of increment have been altered from £10 to £5 a year in the case of the members of the Sanitary staff below the rank of Senior Inspector as the increments they at present enjoy are annual ones.