Sessional_Paper_1937 — Page 169

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72. It is worth noting that of those professors no less than 192 receive less than £950, 221 professors are on the mark £951/£1,000, 75 on the mark £1,001/£1,100 and 123 £1,101/£1,200; that is to say that, of the total of 842 given above, only 231 receive salaries of over £1,200 per annum.

73. It must be noted that members of the University staff are provided with living accomodation or given a housing allowance in lieu, and draw other allowances of appreciable monetary value. Further it is perhaps justifiable to point out that Hong Kong does not obtain and, in fact, does not require the University professor of such exceptional academic attainments as might claim emoluments on the scale paid for the leading professorial posts in the United Kingdom.

74. Except for the consolidation of the existing 10% deduction, we do not propose any alteration in pay for the existing staff. Nor do we wish to suggest a hard and fast scale to be applied in the future. For future recruits the basis of remuneration should be determined by:

(a) academic qualifications,

(b) age;

and the level of salaries currently paid in the United Kingdom should be a suf- ficient guide in arriving at a fair remuneration, with compensating allowance made for residence abroad and consequent separation from academic circles at home. In any case we feel that there are obvious objections to settling, as at present, a flat scale of salaries for all Professors in the several Faculties. We suggest also that in future appointments a slower scale of increment should be applied than has been the practice in the past, so that as a general rule a Professor would not attain his maximum salary until about the age of 50. In passing we note with ap- preciation that recent appointments to the University staff have been made on a lower basis than the Gollan scale, and that able recruits have been obtained on this basis.

75. We have the following comments to make on specific salaries :-

The Demonstrator in Electrical Engineering and the Instructor in Workshop Practice both seem to us to be far too highly remunerated for the work they are carrying out, and the former post is one that could in our opinion very well be filled by a graduate of the University.

76. We are of opinion that the gradual process of arriving at the reduced staffing which we have suggested in earlier paragraphs and at the more economical remuneration which is implicit in the two preceding paragraphs could be accelerated by some scheme of grants to supplement their respective superannuation fund ac- cumulations in the case of those older professors who may themselves be desirous of retiring and with whose services the University may be willing to dispense.

77. Having regard to the effect which continued residence in the semi-tropical climate of Hong Kong may have on the individual it is proposed that all future terms of service should lay it down that the age at which a professor should normal- ly retire will be 55 with the proviso that should the University require his services. he will not be released until 60.

Organization.

78. Although we are clearly empowered by our terms of reference to state our views on such subjects as organization and interior discipline, it is with some diffidence that we, as outside observers, broach such questions. In mitigation it is perhaps justifiable to observe that all four members of our Committee, even though it is a Government Committee, are in fact actually on the Council of the University, and therefore not only "Members of the University" as defined in Statute 2 of the University Ordinance, but also have a place in that body (section 11 (2) of the Ordinance) which is described as having in its care "the government and control of the affairs of the University".