§ Major HORE-BELISHAasked the Parliamentary Secretary to the Admiralty whether he is aware that naval ratings working in the dockyard at Hong Kong and the dockyard at Kowloon and at the Royal Naval Hospital, including the soldiers in the various barracks, are paid at the rate of 10 dollars to the £, whereas the men in H.M.S. "Tamar," which is permanently tied up in the Honk Kong dockyard basin, are only paid at the rate of 8.50 dollars to the £; and whether he will issue instructions for the men in the "Tamar" to receive their pay and victualling allowance at the higher rate of exchange in order that they may not be penalised?
§ Mr. AMMONThe ashore personnel are paid in dollars at the rate stated, subject to a maximum amount so convertible, the balance of their pay drawn, if any, being converted at the current rate of exchange, which is approximately $8.50 to the £. Personnel afloat, including the crew of H.M.S. "Tamar," are also allowed to convert a portion of their pay at the rate of 2s. to the dollar, under a scale varying with their status, and are paid the balance at the current official rate. These ratings are victualled on board, and so are not under the necessity of spending the same proportion of their pay ashore. I understand that soldiers in the barracks are treated similarly to the naval personnel ashore.