Sessional_Paper_1948 — Page 36

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For inspectors of vernacular schools we recommend a scale commencing three increments above the normal point of entry for masters and continuing with an efficiency bar between $14,880 per annum and $15,600 per annum to the same maximum as for senior masters. For the present inspectors of vernacular. schools who are on sterling rates of pay we recommend revised salaries of $22,400 per annum which will lapse when the present holders retire.

114. We recommend that physical training instructors and instructresses should, provided that they are properly qualified, be placed on the same scales as certificated teachers. We understand that some of these officers were placed on the temporary establishment because it was felt that when they reached a certain age they would not be physically fit to continue as instructors.

We recommend that in future the policy should be to recruit men and women who have qualified at the Northcote Training College in other subjects as well as physical training, so that their usefulness will not be limited to the period during which they are capable of giving physical training instruction. As opportunity occurs, we recommend that serving physical training instructors should be given a course at Government expense at the Northcote Training College to equip them to teach in other subjects. We recommend that the physical training supervisor should on reaching the maximum of the time scale for masters be eligible to be considered for promotion to the grade of senior master.

115. We recommend that workshop instructors at the Trade School should be on the same rates of pay as uncertificated teachers until they obtain a teachers' training certificate. If they qualify as teachers, we recommend for them the same scales of pay as for certificated teachers.

PUBLIC WORKS DEPARTMENT

116. As facilities to enable engineering graduates of Hong Kong University to serve a post graduate apprenticeship in private engineering concerns in the Colony are very limited, we recommend that the present system whereby the Public Works Department engages apprentice engineers should be continued and if possible extended. We consider that there should be provision on the permanent establishment of a reasonable number of posts for assistant engineers open to local graduates who have served their apprenticeship satis- factorily. For assistant engineers we have provided a ten years' scale equal in length to that proposed for assistant masters and assistant medical officers, but commencing at a slightly higher point than that for assistant masters and slightly lower than that for assistant medical officers. We recommend that assistant engineers who obtain the requisite professional qualifications and prove themselves to be suitable should be considered for promotion to the engineer grade at any point on the assistant engineer scale. Promotion to the engineer grade should be by selection and not be dependent upon a vacancy occurring.

117. We recommend that in future quantity surveyors and land surveyors should be on the same salary scale as engineers and architects. We have placed the post of Superintendent of Crown Lands and Surveys on the same level as that of an Assistant Director of Public Works and the posts of Assistant Superintendent of Crown Lands and Assistant Superintendent of Surveys on the same level as executive engineers. We understand that a woman architect has recently been appointed on contract. If it is eventually decided that she should be offered employment on the permanent pensionable establishment, we recommend that she should be placed on a salary scale of 80% of that granted to a male engineer or architect.

118. We understand that in the past promotion in the inspectorate of works from grade III to grade II was exceedingly slow and that many valuable officers were precluded by lack of vacancies from proceeding above the maximum of the grade III scale, even though they had served efficiently for many years on that maximum. We recommend that in future grades II and III should be amalgamated and that an efficiency bar should operate between $9,600 per annum and $10,080 per annum instead of a promotion bar. We consider that promotion to grade I should continue to be by selection. We recommend similarly that an efficiency bar should replace the existing promotion bar between the grades of land bailiff and senior land bailiff.

119. We recommend that the grading of foremen should be altered to -conform with our general recommendations on this subject.

120. We recommend that assistant land surveyors should, as a normal rule, be selected by competitive examination from candidates who have obtained the Hong Kong School Leaving Certificate. We have prescribed for them an initial training period of six years on a salary scale similar to that for grade III of the Clerical Service. After reaching $2,400 per annum they will have to pass an efficiency bar before rising to grade II on a commencing salary of $3,600 per