m
96
work, however, the gradually mount ing number of those discovered in various forms of dishonesty, and a number of anonymous letters which
led me to think that those who escaped detection were at least má
numerous as those against whom I secured evidence, „radually changed
my mind.
recognition of an agency, I should perhaps explain, meant
that the agent was coached in the proper method of completing forma
ami of the evidence to be brought in suport of the several types of
claim; that he was supplied with forma of wplication without question; that his clients were excused from personal attendance at my office both when making application and again when the document
was ready for issue. This last xxxxXİSK concession, made not only
to recognised agencies, but also to guilds and so ieties recommended for that purpose by the Secretary for Chinese affairs, and to private
individuals who apply by post, is of all my departures, so far as I
am aware of them, from ordinary immi ration procedure in any part
of the world where control is in force, the one of which I am most
doubtful; it has not, so far as I am aware, Deen criticised, but it
is a weakening of control of which I am very conscious; the only
justification which I can offer for that departure was the physical
impossibility of dealing individually with the flaod of applicants
in the office space at my disposal, the impossibility of expending
that space under one roof, and the impossibility of effectively
decentralising to any greater extent without further experienced
administrative assistance, which, as you will hear later, was not
furnished me until long after the necessity of this enquiry was
already apparent. It shows, I think, a curious lack of apprecia-
tion of the main objects of our legislation that so far from
criticism being based on this loosening of control, I have on the
contrary been blamed for not making application for documents even
easier and even more a matter of course by distributing the applica-
tion forms in any quantity to all comers, and by accepting applica-
the
tions more freely by/post.
The answer is in place at this point,
Decause, in addition to the objection on the grounds of loss of
control, it was necessary to prevent, as far as possible, the