CO129-203 - Acting Governor Marsh - 1882 [10] — Page 343

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gers' effects only come through here the passengers themselves being in transit, and the Harbour Master, if dissatisfied with the claims of the deceased's fellow passengers, could easily communicate with responsible people at the deceased's destination and ascertain in many cases to whom the deceased's effects should be transmitted. The articles of wearing apparel, boxes &c., sold by public auction, are intrinsically more valuable to a man's family than they would be to purchaser's at a public auction and I fear the Government gets a bad name in China for appropriating the property of deceased passengers. I have seen the Registrar's office inconveniently crowded with boxes of deceased passengers. There is seldom anything of value in them, no one of the deceased's friends are ever present at the opening of them, most passengers returning to China after a lengthened absence abroad have realized some property. We can only account for the small value of the articles found by the fact of their having been stolen by the fellow passengers of the deceased or that his friends or clansmen have taken the more valuable articles leaving only what it is not worth while to claim rather than remain in Hongkong or for his relatives to come to Hongkong in order to claim the goods by taking out Letters of Administration. My suggestion is that the Harbour Master or the Police should be authorized to deliver the effects of a deceased passenger to any one on board the steamer apparently authorized to take possession of the same if satisfied that they will come to the possession of the relatives of the deceased; if not so satisfied, that an Inventory shall be taken in the presence of such of the fellow passengers of the deceased as took an interest in the matter and that the deceased's relatives should be communicated with if possible and that at all events no sale should take place until after a reasonable time has elapsed during which any person conceiving himself entitled may claim the property. Of course our own Consuls and the officers of the Chinese customs might be communicated with if the place they were going to were known. At present the entries in the Registrar's Ledger have been sometimes as follows:-

Chinaman Unknown No.

Dr.

To amount paid into Treasury un- claimed Balance,

..$1.75

Cr.

By net proceeds of goods sold by Go- vernment Auctioneer,.

-$1.75

The Official Administrator has however a considerable number of accounts to keep.

Besides his own accounts he has to investigate the accounts in every Intestate estate, to take possession of the Estate and to collect all moneys due and to investigate and settle all claims against the Estate. As with Bankruptcy matters it is not only the accounts of moneys received and paid that have to be kept, but the accounts of each separate Estate have to be investigated. In administering these Estates as well as Bankrupt Estates, it will be obvious that the services of a competent Accountant would be of very great assistance to the Registrar.

See Mr. WOTTOS statements in evidence taken before Conumis-

The stamp

duties on Probates and Letters of Administration appear to be very greatly evaded, although the amount is small, one fifth of one per cent. and there are sioners pp. 26, 40, 68. no other duties such as legacy duty &c.

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