Sessional_Paper_1911 — Page 8

4. I considered the scheme, modified by the elimination of the 2 per cent. deduction from salaries, in Executive Council on the 31st ultimo and was advised by the members of Council that in their opinion the scheme was a good one and should be submitted for Your Lordship's favourable consideration. In this opinion I concur. I consider that the great cost of passages entailed upon European Officers in this far distant Colony is a heavy burden which it would be wise for the Government in its own interests to lighten. Under present conditions men in the Subordinate ranks of the Service are debarred from visiting Europe as often as they should do in the interest of their health owing to the difficulty of saving money passages; they are prone from the same cause to contract undesirable marriages with non-European women; and if married to European wives they are open to the tempta- tion of augmenting their salaries by illegitimate means in order to cover the heavy cost of passages.

for

I shall, therefore, be glad to learn whether an offer of the privilege may be made to the Officers concerned subject to all the European members of the Subordinate Service accept- ing it. If they refuse it, it might be compulsorily adopted for all new appointments to the Subordinate Staff.

If, however, Your Lordship considers that the principle of direct contribution by the members of the Service must be retained, I shall be glad to learn whether you approve of the scheme with the addition of the condition of a deduction of 2 per cent. per annum from the salaries of contributors.

The Right Honourable,

THE EARL OF CREWE,

I have, &c.,

F. H. MAY,

Officer Administering the Government.

His Majesty's Principal Secretary of State for the Colonies,

No. 254.

&c.,

fc.,

ENCLOSURE 1..

fc.

PUBLIC WORKS OFFICE, HONGKONG, 30th September, 1908.

SIR, I beg to forward a petition from the Overseers on the permanent staff of this Department and one of the Land Bailiffs asking that the Government should defray, in whole or in part, the cost of the passages of themselves, their wives and families with a view to enabling them to take leave periodically at reasonable intervals.

They suggest that their periods of service in the Colony should be 5 years at a time, at the end of which they should be entitled to 9 months' leave, all of which should be on half-pay. Under the existing regulations, they are entitled to 3 months' full-pay leave and 10 months' half-pay, a few of the older hands being entitled to 4 months' full-pay leave

instead of 3.

I consider that single men, even among the II Class Overseers, should have no difficulty in saving enough money to pay for their passages. With the married men, the case is different and I can quite understand that they experience great difficulty in saving enough money, the necessary outlay in their case being considerably greater. It would however be somewhat impracticable to discriminate between the two classes in a matter of this kind.

Speaking generally, I think it would be beneficial to the men to make some such arrangement as that which forms the subject of the petition as men undoubtedly require an occasional holiday to England, but it is unnecessary for me to go into details in a matter which cannot be confined to this Department alone.

I therefore submit the petition for consideration,

The Honourable

THE COLONIAL SECRETARY.

I have, &c.,

W. CHATHAM, Director of Public Works.