circumstances it would apuear to be advisable, before
taking any further action in the matter, beyond re- funding to Mr. Ross the amount which was incorrectly recovered from him in 1904, to act on the suggestion which has been made by the Crown Agents that, in order that they may be in a position to assist in the solution of the apparent shortage, they should be furnished with a statement giving the serial numbers of the sheets of stamps now in stoc and of those stated to be missing, together with covering boards, giving the details of Requisition numbersand such other detailed information as would be likely to be
of use.
в
24.5.18
сорез черве
replies 21248 C.A. LA
Ali over A&C
пр
29.5
C. 4. see also C.A.
brown Agents
A
250€
See by Crown Agents,
and
18/07/18 2017.5.
Hong Kong C. C. Minute Papers. 21 248
J
437
In transmitting to you Messrs. De La Rue & Co's reply to your memo of the 6th Hay, I should like to add the following comments:- The system followed in this Dept. of balancing good stamps and spoilage to make up the quantity of paper issued, precludes any possibility of surplus or deficit. The paper is counted when issued, by a member of our staff, and cross checked by one of Messrs De La Rue's staff. Before the stamps are delivered to us a balance is struck by Messrs.De La Rue which is quite independent of the final "make up" carried out by us.
Indeed, the system is so exhaustive that any shortage or surplus must inevitably come to light.
2. Every enquiry has been made with a view to throwing some light on the reported deficiency of 5 sheets of 1 dollar stamps, but without success.
3. No indication is given throughout the minutes ns to whether the stamps referred to are Postage or Revenue. The 1.50 dollar stamps, of which a surplus was reported in December 1915, were obviously Revenue stamps, as there is no Postage issue of this duty. It is practically certain too, that the 1 dollar stamps, of which a deficiency is now alleged, are Revenue stamps also, as 5 she ta of 60 set Postage (printed 240 set) will mean 1 full sheets, whereas stamps when despatched are never totalled up to a fraction of a sheet.
4. It is regrettable that the alleged surplus of 75 cents and $3.50 duties discovered in 1915 was not reported to the Crown Agents, when by means of checking serial numbers and packing certificates we may have been able to assist the Colony in elucidating the problem.
It is not possible for an excess number of sheets to be despatched by this Department and the discrepancy may have been due to the confusing of more than one duty.
5. Messrs. De La Rue's memo will explain the "shortage" of 50 sheets of 4 cents stamps in 1903. It was a clerical invoice error pure and simple; the 50 sheets were neither received nor paid for
It is difficult to understand why the explanation
by the Colony.
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