Adjustments Made to New Exchange Rate to Cost Community Over Million Dollars in Full Year Shanghai, June 29. GALARY adjustments for employees of the Shanghai Municipal Council in conformity with the fall in the exchange value of the Chinese dollar and with the increased cost of living were sanctioned by the Council at a meeting yesterday evening, when recommendations by the Staff Committee were considered.
The cost of these further increases to the ratepayers will, according to a statement issued last night, be in a full year. $1,192,700—which will be approximately one per cent, of the municipal rate and correlative land tax, The statement follows:—
In February last, in -adopting the report of the Special Committee which had been set up to consider municlpal staff exchange adjustments and Gonuses, the Shanghai Munteipal Council' decided and announced that all the temporary cost of living al-Towances, ele., would be subject to revision before the end of June 10939.
'Since January 1, 1999, there has been in force a temporary cost allowance of 18 per cent. for and "L" Class employees serving under letters of appointment, This temporary cost of. living allowance was' in February last: described the Special Committee as being reasonable and comparing favourably with allowances generally granted 10 Shanghai at that time, In regard to "A" Class employees, the Council with effect from January 1, 1099, extended the scale of exchange adjustment given to such employees respect of one-third of their basle pay down to the rate of 7d. to the dollar, "AM Class Also established whereby one-third of the asia pay of "A" Class employees could be considered as meeting their foreign currency obligations and two-thirds as meeting their local living expenses. They accordingly recommended, and the Council accepted their recommendation, that in addition to exchange adjustment on one-third of their basic pay "A" Class employees should receive the same temporary cost of living allowance as "B" and "Li Class employees respect of two-thirds of their Basic pay.
The matter came before the Staff Committee on June 26 and was the subject of very lengthy discussion. In regard to "A* Class" employees, members took the view that In ae: cordance with the principle already established the exchange adjustment scale which applies in respect to one-third of their pay should be extended down to the level of 6d. to the dollar, and a recommendation was made (0 the Couneit to this effect.
The Special Committee came to the conclusion that a position had been Misuse of Reuters Name Protested Shanghai, June 29, On April 22 the Japanese-owned Chinese-language newspaper, "Sin Shun Pao," published in Shanghai, carried on its front page an article which it attributed to Reuters 'The article in question was given with a Chungking date-line. Tt ale Tegod that Reuters' Chungking cor Fespondent had said, among other "the internal conflict Government and that" the British Ambassador' visit to Chungking in April had been "made under Instructions from the British Govern ment, in order to warn, out of intentions, the Kuomintang Gove ment peace talks with to" start carried by or anywhere ind Reuters immediately: placed the' matier in the hands of the British Consulate-General in Shang-hal Reuters have now been informed by the British Consulate-General that the matter was raised with the Japanese Consulate-General, the Japanese Consulate-General being requested that "the necessary "steps should be taken' without delay prevent any repetition" of such 9 misuse of Reuters' name by the "Sin Shun Pao" and that a correction should be published in the columns of the 'Sin Shun Pao" explaining that the item in question did not emanate from Reuters 'The Japanese Consulate-Genera Routers are informed, has, as a result this request, informed' the British Consulate-General that a warning against any repetition of such an act was issued to the "Sin Shun Pao" Immadiately its attention, was drawn to the "Sin Shun Pao's" misuse of Reuters' name, Nothing as yet, however, has been said in" the Japanese Consulate-General's reply concerning the publishing of correction in the columns of the "Sin Shun Pao" and further representations are being made on this point, In regard to the temporary cost of living allowance which applies to the whole of the basic pay of "B" and "LU Class employees and Chinese employees serving under letter of appointment, and to two-thirds of the basle pay of "A" Class foreign em-lovees, "members generally agreed that this should be increased from 15, per cent, to 25 per cent. of basic pay; this rate to be reviewed again at the end of September 1939. "Members of the opinion that the Council could not carry the full burden of any increased cost of living, but that the burden must be shared between the staff and the ratepayers. did not consider it reasonable that the municipal aff should expect such ancial relief as would enable employees to maintain the same standard of living as when the rate of exchange was 1/2%d. to the dollar,
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.