"A"
371
Statement of A. P. Guterres in answer to the Colonial Secretary's letter of the 27th November 1906.
In reply to the charges contained in the letter above referred to I have to state as follows:-
1.
2.
I have been in the Harbour Department since 1869 and from the outset have attended to the payment off of crews. I estimate that I have paid off on an average five or six crews a month since first I entered the Department.
In answer to charge A. I did not on the 31st May 1902 or on any other date deduct $1260 from the pay of the firemen of the S/S. "Alcinous" or any sum at all nor did I receive a commission of $65 for any services rendered or any commission at all nor did I render or do I at any time render any services for which a commission would be payable, nor have I ever charged any commission.
3.
In answer to charge B. On the 10th November 1906 after distributing all the account of wages to the crew to their satisfaction I paid them off with the exception of the Captain's boy, Cheuk Foo, who did not turn up when his name was called. The same afternoon when I was leaving the office a Chinaman representing himself to be Cheuk Foo presented the unpaid account of wages to me and demanded payment. As I did not know the man and he could not identify himself I told him to come back on Monday and bring with him the Boarding Master who shipped him to identify him when I would pay him. He never subsequently came. The money is now and has all the time been in the hands of the shroff of the Harbour Department.
4.
In answer to charge C. I have never deducted odd cents from the wages of any crews on payment off. It sometimes happens that there is a shortage of copper coin when a crew is paid off. In such cases if one man has to