While no man is indispensable, the Council has been compelled to ta into serious consideration the num~ ber of municipal employees holding key positions who have intimated that they are being compelled to seek employment outside the Council's service, A number of the employees whose services have ccontly been terminated in the inter~ ests of retrenchment and as a result of reaorgantzation have obtained employment at salaries considerably in excess of those which they wer receiving in the Council's servi Although foreign currency equi ents of focal salaries provide I complete yardsticks for comparison, they are factors which cannot b¢ ignored now that so many items of ordinary daily expenditure are governed by fluctuations in the value local currency, "The Council pay. cheque of a head of department of three years' seniority, which in_ 1936 was equivalent to almost £2,000 0 year, Was recently worth under £60) a year, Such a state of affairs cannot continue without a danger of disintegration of the municipal cor-vice, It is confidently believed that no American or European citizens of Shanghai of Police, Public Health or Public Works are paid so little as these municipal servants, "AY Class Employer The Special Committee which was in February 1039 to investlgate municipal staff exchange Justments and bonuses stated that a position had been established where. bby one-third of the basic pay of "A" Class employees could be considered as meeting their foreign currency obligations, While accepting thit the Council has felt that present diffeult circum. stances it cannot altogether remove the limit, for exchange adjustment, but the "A" Class employee, which Includes locally engaged employees well as others recruited from broad, consists mainly of those with professional and technical qualifica~ tions who find it easiest to obtain employment elsewhere, Owing to the importance of their work to the Council's service, It is essential to avoid a large number of resignations in these ranks if the eMclency of the service is tobe maintained fs it needs to be in the public interest, The Council considers that the lowering of the limit to 4¥4d, 1s the minimum concession that can' be The Council is confident that ratepayers who examine this statement Of facts vill be satisfied that the Council has given most earnest consideration.to the interests of all concerned and has taken a step which the interests of ratepayers demanded, Tue annual recess of the Munteipal Council for 1940 has been fixed from Thursday, July 25, to Tuesday, September 3, both days inclusive,
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.