674
14)
Q.—Did you receive any other monies except Crown Rent?
A. Yes, I also received fees for spirituous liquor licences, pawnbrokers' licences, kerosine oil licences, billiard room licences, and hotel licences.
Q.—Tell us what happens when a man wants to pay his Crown Rent into the Treasury.
A. I receive the money, cheques, or cash, in silver.
(15)
Q.—Can you state any of the cases where a cheque was sent to Alves and you have entered in your book the amount of the cheque?
A. Yes, in all cases entries have been made when the cheque was handed in by Alves.
Sometimes the fees or monies are paid in bank notes or ...
Mr. Thurburn.—In all these cases was the receipt handed back to Alves or direct to the person who brought the money?
Q.—Suppose a man comes to you and says that he wants to pay his Crown Rent and brings the money, what do you first do?
A.—If a man comes with the money to pay into the Treasury, I first receive the money and I look up the old receipts, and then I take the receipt to Alves to see that the correct amount is to be paid into the Treasury.
Q.—What do you mean by "look up the old receipt." Suppose a man has not got his last receipt. Do you look at anything then?
A. If there is no old receipt we have to get at the amount from remembrance.
...
—And then when you have received the money do you make an entry at once in this book? (Shroff's book in Chinese produced.)
A.—No.
Q.—When do you make the entry in that book?
A.—As soon as I get the money I take it to Mr. Alves to ask him to issue a receipt and when I get the receipt then I make the entry in the book.
Q.—Do you sign the receipt?
A.—Receipts are not signed but chopped by a Chinese chop.
Q.—By you?
A. Yes.
Q.—You cannot read English?
A.—No.
Q.—Therefore you do not know whether the receipts were properly made out or not?
A.—I can read figures.
(Witness was tested and correctly read several rows of figures.)
Q.—Did Alves ever receive money?
A. Yes, there are cases in which people sent money direct to Alves and he receives the money and sends the receipt.
Q. How do you know that they send the money direct to Alves?
A. There are cheques that he put in my hands—bank cheques.
Q.—Did Alves ever give you notes or dollars?
A.—Sometimes bank notes, but principally bank cheques.
Q.—What used you to do when Alves brought you these cheques or this money?
A.—When he handed me the bank cheques and the money and receipt I compared the amount stated in his receipt with the amount on the cheque to find whether the sum was proper.
Then I made an entry in the book and handed back the receipt to Alves.
A.—I never gave any receipt to anybody for money received by Mr. Alves.
Q.—You always gave it back to Alves?
A.—Yes.
The Chairman.—Has it not sometimes happened that Alves has given you a cheque, say for $800, and he has asked you to put $600 in your book and give him back $200 and a receipt for $600?
A.—Yes, there are two or three cases each year in which Alves handed me a cheque for $800 for instance and gave only a receipt for $600, and when I compared the amount stated in the cheque with the receipt I found there was a surplus. This surplus I paid over to Alves to keep.
Q.—How often has that happened?
A. I think two or three times.
Q.—Not more?
A.—If you wish for a correct account I can give it. The book there states everything.
Q.—Will you show us one or two cases?
A. (After witness had examined the book.) This entry of January 16th, 1892. The cheque received was for $419.49. Alves gave a receipt for $319.49. Then there was a surplus of $100 and that money was handed to Alves. It is all stated here, the Chinese character Li means Alves.
Q.—When you say that you compared the receipt which Alves made out, you mean you compared the figures on the receipt but you did not know what was in the body of the receipt?
A.—I only compared the figures.
Mr. Bird.—Did Mr. Alves explain why he wanted the surplus paid back to him?
A. Yes, the reason he gave was in this particular case, that the money had to be refunded to the person who sent it.
The Chairman.—Can you give us any other instances?
A.—Another instance is on January 23rd, 1892. A man named Musso sent a cheque to Alves for $577.66. Alves gave a receipt for $565.02. There was then a surplus of $12.64 and that was handed back to Alves.
Q.—Any other instances?
A. Yes. $200 handed to Alves as the surplus of a cheque for $2,380.06. He gave a receipt for $2,180.06. The surplus of $200 was handed to Alves.
Q.—Whose cheque was it?
A.—Sharp, Broker, Date March 19th, 1892.