COPY.
Enclosure 1.
97
Hon. Colonial Secretary,
RECT
7617
0928 FEB 14
The Junk Office is contained in a single room on
the ground floor of the Harbour Office building, and the public
have no access except to a counter along one side. There are in
the office lir. Lenfestey in charge, two shroffs, and two writers.
We are satisfied that the work of the office is not generally
speaking heavy and that Mr. Lenfestey has ample time to enable him
to maintain a proper and continuous supervision.
2.
The frauds perpetrated by Lai Wing-tak were in respect of "Lighters, Cargo Boots, and Water Boats" and "Other
Boate Licences. Licences for boats in the first category vary
between 86.25 and 862, there being twenty different rates, There
are a similar number of rates in respect of "Other Boats", varying
between $3.25 and 841. Lai Wing-tak made out the licences, foil
and counterfoil, filling in fee and date on both sides, and initialling the counterfoils. Lr. Lenfestey aimed the licences but did not initial any counterfoils. Lai Wing-tak kept a collect-
-ion book in which he was required to enter details of suns receiv- -ed. A typical day's entry in this book would be as follows:-
Cargo Boat $14.25 86.25
10th. June, 1913, P.M.
18.253 10.252
$114.50
Other
• 83.250
26.00
$140.50
Towards the close of each day the counterfoil books
and collection book were taken to the Assistant Harbour Luster
for checking. It will be seen that the method of keeping the collection book precluded the possibility of identifying a particular sun with a particular counterfoil, as no counterfoil numbers were entered in the collection book, but Mr. Jones satis- -fied himself e.g. on the 10th. June that ten Cargo Toat Licences had been issued, one in the sum of $14.25, four in the sun of 86.25, three in the sum of $18.25 and two in the sum of $10.25.
He then initialled the back of the last counterfoil with a blue