CO129-274 - Public Offices & Others - 1896 — Page 421

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a very serious charge against those who for several years past have held the office of Registrar or Acting Registrar, I will treat it accordingly and I undertake to show that when Mr. Kyshe penned these words "grave and unchecked irregularities" he had no foundation or excuse whatever for bringing such an accusation, one which no doubt would entail serious consequences on those concerned, were not these charges as unreal as the "baseless Fabric of a vision"

5. Admitting for argument's sake the whole of the facts as set out in Mr. Kyshe's letter they do not, even taken altogether, constitute the slightest basis on which to found a charge of irregularity. I will show that no irregularity whatever has been committed and will therefore, now deal with these two heads seriatim.

(1) *The astonishing fact that in no single instance had it ever been found necessary to ascertain the correctness of the value of the estate sworn to, the value declared being accepted in every case as correct and that in a community composed mostly of Asiatics". Admitting this to have been the practice followed in the registry it would constitute no irregularity whatever as no law or regulation has imposed any duty on the Registrar in this respect but I give a positive denial to the Statement. Such has not been the practice and Mr. Kyshe had no means of knowing what his predecessors did in this matter. As Mr. Goodman says: He does not know upon what authority Mr. Kyshe makes this statement and he thinks that Mr. Kyshe's predecessors should have been referred to before such a broad statement was made.

6. I will now state what I thought it was my duty to do consistent with the powers and authority given to me.