Sessional_Paper_1903 — Page 524

HONGKONG.

STERLING SALARIES SCHEME

(Correspondence in continuation of Sessional Paper No. 45 of 1902.)

Laid before the Legislative Council by Command of

His Excellency the Governor.

No. 36

1903

Extract from the despatch of His Excellency Sir H. A. Blake to the Secretary of State for the Colonies, No. 512, of the 15th November, 1902.

SIR, I have the honour to acknowledge the receipt of your despatch No. 318 of the 30th of last September and to refer you in reply to paragraph 6 of my des- patch of the 11th December, 1901, in which I stated that the Sterling Salaries Scheme, forwarded under cover of that despatch, was designed to include all offices which would in the ordinary course be held by Europeans appointed from home. In other words all officers entitled to draw exchange compensation.

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I have, etc.,

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HENRY A. BLAKE.

Extract from the Secretary of State's despatch No. 16 of 16th January, 1903,

to His Excellency Sir H. A. Blake.

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It was not intended to make any such distinction in regard to the grant of Sterling Salaries, as is contemplated in your despatch No. 512, between officers of the Hongkong Service who are and those who are not entitled to exchange com- pensation. According to the principle laid down in the case of the Straits Settle- ments and the Federated Malay States, the salaries of all non-clerical posts which exceeded $1,200 a year were to be included in the Sterling Scheme; and officers appointed after the beginning of August, 1901, to any such posts came under the Sterling Scheme, regardless of the question whether or not they would have been entitled, under the existing rules, in virtue of domicile or in other respects, to ex- change compensation.

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I have, etc.,

ONSLOW.