CO129-478 - Public Offices & Others - 1922 — Page 435

COPY.

Keference Sheet He:3/1920 from Director of Colonial Audit to

the Auditor, Hongkong.

1st May, 1922.

428

Paragraph 16 of your Anmaal Heport, 1920. (Enclosed with your

letter No.17/63 of 9th August, 1921).

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It is observed that the Rios Account transfer of $379,950.76

from "Deposits Not Available" to the credit of the subhead *Other

Services" of the Expenditure Head "Miscellaneous Services",

resulted in the record of a nat credit figure of $199,945.70

under that subhead in the Appropriation Account for the year

1920. This fact appears to indicate that the subhead in questio

wes originally charged within the year with expenditure amounting

to $180,004.96 (8379,950.75 less $199,945.79) as compared with an

original estimate of $5,000 and a provisional vote of $80,000,

and that therefore unauthorised excess expenditure was set off,

to a considerable extent, by the expenditure credit referred to.

It is requested that a further explanation of this excess expen-

diture may be furnished.

2. In this connection it appears from deragraph 3 of the

despatch from the Governor of Hongkong to the Secretary of State

(No.385 of the 12th of October, 1921,) that, in October, 1921,

this same sum of $379,950,75 wes' still recorded under "Deposita

Not Available", the approval of the Secretary of State being

sought for excluding the amount from the revenue liable to

Military Contribution, but, as the sum in question has apparently

been finally allocated in the account for 1920, this circumstance

An explanation is requested.

is not understood.

(Signed)

J.C.FISHER.

for Director of Colonial Audit.