CO129-467 - Governor Sir Stubbs & Acting Governor Claud Severn - 1921 [1-5] — Page 223

CO129 Colonial Office Hong Kong Records 理藩院香港檔案 All

place in the Accountant's Office". He states that he exercised such checks as he deemed to be sufficient

but they appear to have been practically valueless and it is clearly evident that, as the Acting Treasurer has stated in his letter above referred to, the financial side of the Police Department had for many years ben administered on a system that was in many respects thoroughly bad; and that there appears to have been an almost complete absence of affective control by the Captain Superintendent over the work of the Accountant together with a lack of co-operation, operating as a controlling influence, between the Pulice Dept. and the Treasury. I cannot but consider that Mr. Messer is seriously to blame for permitting these conditions to continue, apparently throughout the tenure of his post as Captain Superintendent, for, in my opinion, the defalcations were rendered possible by his failure to discharge that responsibility which, as he indicates in the concluding paragraph of his minute, properly rests with the Head of the Department.

(I am sorry that, owing to pressurs of other work, I have kept these papers so long.)

es.

8.6.21

Mr. Grindle

I would tell the Gov. that the S. of

222

S. is advised by the D.C.A. as in the minute above

and that he regrets that he can only express

his concurrence in Sir E. Stephenson's views.

Ask for the Gov.'s obsons on the case, and

esp. as to what disciplinary measures are

called for, and whether Mr. desser can be

rebined in the post of Treas., in view of his

apparent unfitness for an appointment invol-

ving financial responsibility.

Make our desp. Conf.

A.E.C.

13.5.21

G.8 19.6.

6.41

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