CO129-475 - Governor Sir Stubbs & Acting Governor Claud Severn - 1922 [5-7] — Page 161

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

MINUTES.

Mr.Chan Pui are recalled. In the course of the enquiries which were instituted as a result of those defalcations it was ascertainad beyond doubt that not only was the

accounting system defective but also that the extent and the nature of the supervision which had been exercised over the accounting operations was inadequate. With this knowledge and looking to the advantage which had been taken of the existing defects and omissions it would have been reasonable to

expect that no time would have been

lost in providing such safeguards as would render the committal of further frauds more difficult, if not impossible, and, if committed, more quickly detected. This was an obvious duty which devolved

equally upon both the Treasurer and the Captain Superintendent of Police (see especially Colonial Regulation 218(1) and (v) and Colonial Regulation 220) But, beyond the appointment of a European Accountant (who appears to have been singularly unfitted for such a responsible post) it does not appear that any really effective

MINUTES NOT TO BE WRITTEN

ON THIS SIDE.

effective measures were taken

either to improve the system or

135

to increase the supervision, with

the result that Fattah Mohamed,

like Chan Pui, apparently had

little difficulty in carrying

out his fraude. It can therefore

only be concluded that both the

Treasurer and the Captain Superin-

tendent of Police have failed in

their duty.

The Governor states (para-

graph 9) that he is satisfied that

the arrangements now in force (presumably since these frauds)

should make it a matter of great

difficulty to perpetrate further frauds, and it would be interesting to know, in detail, what these

arrangements are.

"Cody"

:?

hi Cothin (on whem)

See also Cin [Steffenson

bination

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very

55808. Her position disquirting. To tie

F. Stubbs in

home

I think

on the wa

2

we bad but

deep time beb for his arrival

and, and he is it see his E. S'efferson in connections

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