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Q.-The whole thing had to be dug up and taken away, and a new floor entirely put in ?
A. Yes.
Q.~Alright now, Mr. Li, I want you to make a list of all your fokis over there, and you send the list to Mr. Chapman, or Mr. Lau, or Mr. Fang, as I want to see your fokis and ask them some questions.
Mr. Shelton Hooper.-About how much did that cost you to reconcrete it?
A. The landlord paid it.
I dont know whether it was not $15 a tseng.
The Chairman.--What is a tseng ?
Mr. Fung Wa Chun.-Ten feet square.
A. The floor was 50 feet in depth approximately, and 15 feet in breadth.
The Chairman. --That is about $75 a floor roughly? It is three tseng roughly.
Our
A-I wished to get it done rapidly, as it was hindering me in business, so I gave $5 to the workmen to get them to hurry up. Even then, I could not get it done quickly. How was it done? Well, the Inspector had to come and see how deep it was. business was obstructed by having to wait until the Inspector came. Then afterwards we were able to reconcrete it,-relay it.
Q.-Was it always the same Inspector, or was it two or three men who came?
A-Only one for that shop. I did not see the Inspector.
Q.-Alright, we will see the foki about that. Have you got anything else to tell us?
A.-Well, we business people are willing if things are proper to spend more money, but when the thing is done, then there is no plague. Well, I would be quite satisfied in my mind to spend $1,000, if people could go there and live. Well, one is not satisfied. I am not satisfied when the money is spent, and there is no good result from it.
One sees no good resulting from it. Is is very good indeed that you gentlemen are so clearly investigating this matter for the Government. Well, as it was mentioned to me just now about any presents being given to those people, I am afraid after the investigation is over, that those Inspectors who have been taking bribes, and do not dare to do so now, they are now not only doing their work very well indeed, but even doing better than they were. So that now the property owners, it is not harder for them now, and business people, hindering them in their time. And the best thing would be when the Government knows the difficulties of the people, not to trouble whether the people who carry out the law are good or not, but to alter the law itself, so that it will not be so hard for the people. I have
got one other thing to mention.
The Chairman.-Wait a minute, Mr. Li, before you go on to something else. What I want to know is: You say about the Chief Inspectors doing their work very well. Do you mean to say that before the Commission began sitting, they did not do their work so well-that they were not so strict. Is that what you mean?
The Interpreter. He is speaking about the taking of bribes before.
The Chairman.-What is bis reply?
The Interpreter.-That before they used to take bribes.
The Chairman.--And allowed the work to be done badly, is that what you mean?
A. Yes.