Sessional_Paper_1929 — Page 114

106

(ii) The Subordinate Staff of the Kowloon Canton Railway receive payment for overtime in accordance with General Order No. 103 (2) which reads as follows:

-

103 (2) "Overtime allowances are payable to the Locomotive Staff on the Railway at the rate of one day's pay for every ten hours after the first ten hours in the case of the Running Staff, and at the rate of one day's pay for every six hours after the first nine and a half hours in the case of the Workshop Staff. The Traffic Staff may receive overtime allowances at the rate of 1/329th of their annual salaries (excluding allowances) for every ten hours after the first ten hours".

This is in accordance with the practice in local dockyards and other engineering establishments and we consider, therefore, that it should continue.

(iii) In connection with Emigration of coolies from the Colony the following officers are authorised to claim overtime fees :-

Health Officer of the Port-$25 a ship.

Police Officers attached to the Secretariat for Chinese Affairs and Boarding Officers of the Harbour Department-$5 for the first hour and $2.50 for each subsequent half hour.

The Interpreter in the Secretariat receives $2.00 an hour, and the Boarding

Officers' interpreter, 75 cents an hour.

These fees are payable when the work of examining and passing emigrants is re- quired to be done after 5 p.m. on week days, after 1 p.m. on Saturdays, and at any hour on Sundays and Holidays. The fees are paid by the Shipping Companies or Passage Brokers concerned.

We feel it would be inadvisable to interfere with these arrangements which have been in force for many years and are necessary for the speedy despatch of shipping from the Harbour.

(iv) In connection with the Survey of Ships by the Marine Surveyors, fees for over- time are authorised by Table C Section 17 of the Merchant Shipping Ordinance, No. 10 of 1899. Of the fees obtained by Government a portion only, at the rate of $5 an hour, is granted to the officer carrying out the survey when the work has to be done out of re- gular office hours.

The allowance granted to the officer is fully covered by the fees paid by the Ship- ping Company concerned, and, as the arrangement is desirable to avoid delay to shipping, we consider that it should continue.

(v) In connection with the repair at the local Railway Workshops of Running Stock belonging to the Chinese Section, allowances of $3 an hour up to a maximum of $90 a month have been granted to the Chief Mechanical Engineer, and of $2 an hour up to a maximum of $60 a month to the Assistant Mechanical Engineer for supervision. As this work is in no way connected with the normal duties of the Chief Mechanical Engineer and his Assistant, and as the allowances are included in the overhead charges for the cost of these repairs and debited to the Chinese Section, we consider that they should continue so long as this special work is undertaken by the Railway.

(vi) Further, with the running of British Section engines, carriages and wagons over the Chinese Section, for which the British Section receives payment, additional res- ponsibility is thrown on the Chief Mechanical Engineer and his Assistant for keeping the running stock in a good state of repair. Overtime is required, and for this an allowance equal to 14 cents per mile run, up to a maximum of $150 a month, is granted to the Chief Mechanical Engineer, and at the rate of cent per mile run, up to a maximum of $50 a month, to the Assistant Mechanical Engineer. These allowances are temporary during the continuance of through running to Canton and are covered by the additional earnings of the Railway for these services, and we consider, therefore, that they may be continued on that basis.