18
249
ww
Government and, to avoid all room for misconception as to the motives and intentions of Government in so novel an experiment, I insisted on the Licensees at the outset transacting their business direct with myself, attended by some members of the Executive Council, a plan which with the assistance of Mr Cecil Smith I found no difficulty in carrying out.
18. If I have any sympathy for Mr Baldwell he has had no reason to complain of my actions, for when I discovered that he received what I thought an exorbitant salary from the Licensees I immediately reported the fact to the Secretary of State, and foreseeing that such a proceeding might be misunderstood by the Chinese I secured its reduction by three-fourths, though his duties were being doubled. Finally I now regard him as a hard-worked man who thoroughly earns what he receives from his employers.
On the other hand the latter retain him simply because he is the best man they can hire to carry out the Government Regulations against illegal Gamblers, and assist in the detection of returned Convicts and bad characters.
19. In fact if everything alleged against Mr Baldwell were true, contrary to the general impression here, I should look on him as being at last in his...