Page 781. Question 6257.
Wong King
2179/2187.
185 (44)
398. In many cases no demand is made for payment of a bribe, but it is well understood on both sides why the delay in passing work arises, and how the difficulty can be surmounted.
These exactions vary from considerable sums of money to the demand for a few eggs at a reduced price, or a few bottles of beer.
No man is apparently too poor to be exploited, and there is no form of exac- tion, however mean and contemptible, to which the Inspectors and servants of the Sanitary Department will not stoop.
399. It is evident that the charges generally for building, &c., in the Colony would be considerably lower were it not for the bribes which have to be paid.
If a contractor attempts to resist these exactions, he is ruined, and in order to retain his business, he is forced to submit.
A case has come before the Commission where a man of some standing had Shan. Pages he courage to refuse to be blackmaile 1, and has been left alone by the Inspectors, but another man of less position has been driven out of business, as his work was not passed without payment of bribes.
Fee Tsang Tim's evidence. Page
2263/2281.
Appendix No. 1.
400. It was very evident that the fear of the Sanitary Officials was in many cases very real, and the witnesses only gave evidence when they found the Com- mission was already in possession of sufficient facts to prove that they knew the full details of the particular case they were investigating.
401. To illustrate this fear which existed, a well-to-do Chinaman after hav- ing been repeatedly assured by the Commission that he would receive full protec- tion were it required, did in the end leave the Colony under threats of violence from one of the Inspectors, consequently becoming bankrupt, losing a remunerative business. Repeated assurances of protection personally given to this man in his native village have as yet failed in inducing him to return to this Colony, where his further evidence was required by the Commission.
402. The Commissioners have, as Your Excellency will see from the evid- ence taken, investigated a number of cases of reported extortion on the part of members of the Government Service, and where possible have followed the enquiry Column III. up to a point where we have considered ourselves justified in specially reporting
to the Government.
Schedule A.
403. Some witnesses have been before us who however have denied all know- ledge of the reported cases of bribery, and it was our intention to have returned to this part of the enquiry later.
We felt however that this is impossible, and having completed our enquiry as to the first part of our Commission, we merely finished examining into such cases as had already been in part gone into, and which seemed to offer à speedy termin- ation to our investigations.
404. There are however a number of other cases which have been reported to us informally, with which we have been quite unable to deal; also other methods of corruption, which we have not had time to investigate fully, but which appear to us to require consideration.
405. The most noticeable of these is the payment by the Government of 40 rents to contractors such as SAM Iu for opening up and closing holes made in the concrete floorings of native houses, while these were being inspected.
406. A number of bills have been produced shewing that considerable sums have been paid on certificates signed by certain of the Sanitary Inspectors that this work had actually been carried out by the contractors in question.
407. As a matter of fact, accounts certified by Inspectors have been produced before the Commission calling for payment for certain floors which it is alleged have been opened and repaired by SAM IU, while witnesses have appeared before us who have stated that the floors have in some cases not been opened at all, while others again have been opened and repaired by these same witnesses.