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secondment to the Immigration Office did not reach you in any form
suggesting that you were to go there to take charge of the Department's.
Rccounts?
Mr. Taylor: That is true. I was going over as an Assistant
Immigration Officer.
Mr. Forrest: To you happen to know whether you came to the office
A
with any recomendiation as an accountant?
No, further than that I had done the Supreme Court accounts
for a few years.
then you
I don't know the answer to the question ayself.
first came to the office, you may not be able to remember very
distinctly the conditions in December, but you probably
romezber what they were in februery when you were brought back
from Taipo especially for the work of accountancy. During
those days you have already described the conditions in your
own cubl·le. You had frequent occasion during that time to
consult œe in my room. Can you tell the Commissioners what the
state of that roo3 W467
I found it rather strange that the head of a department should
be surrounded by numerous clerks and that the public should
wander in and out. Many of them o rged in- I found that later -
and my interviews with r. forrast were very unsatisfactory.
I remember likening the conditions to him to a feeing market
at home.
You have, I think, had to wait in a queue sometimes when you
wished to consult me, the queue being composed of other officers
of the Department who had also to consult me on the affairs.
Sven so I think you will find that my interviews when you did
get to the head of the queue were frequently interrupted by
telephone calls.
Yes, and also by persons coming in talking to you.
when you left Taipo to take up duty in the head office, in the
parlous state of the accounts, you found it necessary to
recommend some person as accountant or cashier in Taipo?
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