1941-03-25 — Page 41

THE CHINA MAIL, MARCH 25, 1941.

MR. FORREST REPLIES

(Continued from Page 6) · ally but also to their duty as pu- blic servants.

The Diagnosis

the

"It is time now I think to come Jo my diagnosisTM of

causes which led to the condition which has been described as "chaos" in the Department.

ments to be prepared; nor what has come to a head in a depart- numbers of staff to engage to mental inquiry which is, I believe, meet that demand; the first of now proceeding. Whatever be the the two months of preparation reasons, whether the passing from was therefore occupied in the their hands. of passport control task. of making a permit-issuing was felt as a loss of prestige, or machine, and making that ma- because they were themselves, as chine work with approximate re-

is quite probable, embarrassed by gularity; only in the second month the increased demands for use of was there time to devote to the their launches, there is little tha even more important questions can be said for the attitude taken. While admitting that the De-of methods of examination of partment leaves much to be de-immigrants and the treatment to sired-and no-one is more con- be accorded to them in their se- scious than I am of what it has veral categories. still to achieve I must demur at the use of the word 'chaos'

"All that can be said in fav our of the term is that it pro- bably expresses with fair exac- titude the opinion of those whose idea of a well-run depart ment is to be found complete

within the binding of neatly en tered cash book and stores ledger.

"To that view1 must answer that the accounts of a department| may be faultlessly kept and yet the Department be entirely with- out value so far as the main rea- son for its existence is concerned, and thus a sheer waste of public

money,

"Book-keeping chaos is undesir - able, but is however to be prefer-1 red to the useless tidiness which was the possible alternative

That there has been anything quite so chaotic as has been al-¦ leged, in the affairs of the Immi- gration Office, I deny, while reud- ily conceding that things have been, and still are, far from per- feet.

sion.

A Record

It is impossible

must

The Treasury !

Still less can be said of the co- I was

to assign blame to any person in operation of the Treasury.

to accept connection with this particular so far from unwilling difficulty: haste was forced uponing that frequently before my of

guidance on methods of account- us by the conditions of the times,

ficial appointment, and almost to some extent by hesitation. of daily after the opening of the of the home government to give full fice, I was in contact with one or approval to the measures pro- other of the senior officers of that posed; and so far as blame

department; there are still in ex- rest anywhere it must be set to istence account books of a form the account of those who pro-devised by them, and I gratefully pagated the rumour that the whole acknowledge Mr. Barton's assis- immigration scheme was pre-tance in leading more suitable paration for compulsory eviction furniture for my shroffs. Mr. from the Colony of all who could Pudney pald fairly frequent visits not show our immigration docu- to my office, and was well aware ments as a kind of residence per- of the harassing conditions under mt, a rumour which caused large which I was working; when it was numbers to make application as apparent to him that all was not

ns the office opened while well, helpful advise, let alone con- soon they had no intention whatever crete help, simply ceased. There limits is no hint in his reports which of travelling outside the

have been of the Colony,

this brought before Commission of his knowledge of the almost insufferable condition of my work; he indeed recom- mended that

other ledgers and books should be kept, but though he himself was the other ultim- ately responsible for proper keep-

Government accounts, Ing of cannot find that he even represent- ed to Government in aid of own requests the urgent need of n trained accountant to put my "ccountancy into order which, as he was well aware, I had neither time nor staff to do myself.

Trained Staff

(i) Shortage of trained staff. Before this department was called, into existence no fewer than four emergency departments had been created since the outbreak of war: and others had greatly increased their staff. Some of the new de- partments had recruited specially trained men from outside the Col- ony, and all had made greater or le's demands on the personnel of existing departments whose need for expansion was less than their

his taken

to attempt

Cooperation

Train-

the

as

No Offer

offer, nor

עונן

1

my

regret

pro-