CO129-288 - Public Offices & Others - 1898 — Page 295

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the Governor at Hong Kong, and addressed to the Right Honble. Her Majesty's Secretary of State for the Colonies, that the enquiries as to the charge alleged against him, by the China- man, Tse Leung, of having paid to Petitioner, in his then official capacity of Indian Inspector, the money of a gambling house in 1896, was instituted on the 1st, day of October,1897, i.e.

days after he had made enquiries of the Honble. the Colonial Secretary, as to whether his petition of 13th. Sept. had been sent to its destination or not. Utter Singh was then under dismissal, and it is strange that an officer whó had been dismissed from the force some 10 months before, should, after such an interval, be called to answer yet another charge. On that date, after a few hours notice, Petitioner was confronted with Tse Leung, and Tse Leung made the statement as to Utter Singh's receiving bribes.

allege that he Petitioner, A denied the statement, but had not at hand the means to prove its falsity, which he contends subsequent enquiries, and Mr. Stanton's affidavit has enabled him to do.

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(Page 2 of Appendix, par..)

(J) I beg particularly to draw attention to Utter Singh's statement (par.9. of Petition of 12th, March, 1897, page 14. of Appendix) that his being present at the time when the money lender, Ganda Singh, gave money to da Rocha, does not constitute a breach of rules and regulations then in force.

(K) His plea as to the disproportionately severe nature of the punishment (even were he guilty, which he does not admit) namely, loss of service, and, above all, emoluments of pension, &c., which he had earned by faithful service, appears to me most reasonable,

(L)

It appears to be the fact that no copy of charge, and no copy of order with reasons, has been given to Petition-

and that he has not been furnished with copies of

er;

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7.