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office, their licences are issued to them. No fees are, or ought to be, received at this Office.
By way of a check, the Treasurer frequently forwards to this Office a book containing a complete list of the Squatters' fees payable for the year, in which all those have
which
been paid to date are so marked.
I find that it has been the practice of the Land Bailiff (Mr. King), who has to do with the issue of Squatters' Licences, to check the Treasurer's entries with those made in a Corresponding book in this office, which is filled in as the licences are issued. He has never checked the Treasurer's
entries with the licences themselves, which are contained in
books with counterfoils, and which constituted the only real
check in the matter.
As the licences enumerated in the attached
list are missing from the books and the fees for them have not
been received at the Treasury it appears obvious that the clerk,
Tai, has been receiving the fees himself and appropriating them, issuing the licences direct to the people in exchange for the
fees.
Enquiries are being made in order to as-
certain whether the various sums wire paid to Tai, but I have
deemed it desirable to communicate the matter to you at once.
I attach a further letter from Tai, which
reached me yesterday, applying for an extension of leave, along
with the cover which contained it.
It appears as if there would be an opportu-
nity of arresting him on his return to the Colony and I therefore
forward this to you confidentially.
With a view to preventing a repetition of
the occurrence, I would submit that the licences be issued in future by the Treasury upon receipt of the fees from the
Squatters