!
*14.
Taylor making a claim of 1589743 owing to him by Mr Botelho
از ماه مه
and forwarding chits as proof. The matter was jointly invosti- gated by Commander Taylor, fir Messer and Mr Brayn on the st34
November, 1909, who found:-
(a) that public money was intact:
(b) that the claim made by the shroff was due to private
transactions in paying out the Harbour Department account for
December, 1908:
(c) it was the custom, authorised by successive Harbour
Masters, for the shroff at the beginning of each month to
pay Mr Botelho a sum of $2,000 to $2,500 out of public money
in his hands, out of which the latter would pay certain accounts
-salaries of lightkeepere, for whom he held powers of attorney,
salaries of boatmen and allowances to police at outstatione,etc
These accounts having been paid, the balance remaining in Ir
Botelho's hande was repaid to the shroff:
(d) with regard to the items due by government to outstations,
it was the practice of officers in charge to deduct the sume of
money so due from the money collected during the previous month,
and to remit the balance to the Harbour Office. When those
balances were received, the suns hold by ir Botelho would be added
to them, and the whole paid into the bank:
(e) in January 1909 Mr Botelho was on sick leave from the
5th to the 12th and during that period the sums shown in the
shroff's letter became due to be paid in. In Mr Botelho's absence,
the shroff paid the money himself and failed later to collect from
Mr Botelho.
Adjustment was made between the shroff and r Botelho's widow and
son, who paid the amount owing by the deceased clerk. The discov-
ory of this transaction led to the issue of 0.5.0. circulers Nos
36 and 37 of 1909, the latter of which is now General Order 65,
while the former notified Heads of Departments that they would be held personally responsible for enforcing the financial instruc- tion that private accounts must be kept entirely separate from
This is the occurrence alluded to in paragraph
official accounts.