CO129-482 - Public Offices - 1923 — Page 777

C

140325/22.

gir.

GENERAL POST OFFICE,

LONDON, E. 0. 1.

11th July, 1923.

775

monthly salary, and They have no reason to suspect that this

practice was not followed in the present case. In these

circumstances They consider that the Postmuster General

should be called upon either to collect from the guarantor

the remainder of the 1,000 in which the Cashier was secured,

or to refund the money himself. They would be glad to be

informed whether the. Jecretary of State concure in this

proposal.

I am

jir,

Your obedient Servant,

GTM

i am directed by the Postmaster General to transmit herewith,

for the infomation of the Lords Commissioners of His Majesty's

Treasury, a copy of correspondence with the Postmaster General of Hong

Kong and of the Auditor's reports with reference to a deficiency of

$ 4,467.58 in the cash of the British Post Office Agency at Canton,

now closed.

Mr. Dallin of the Colonial audit Department called at this

Office on the 15th of last month; but he was unable to throw any more

light on the matter. The suggestion that the defalcations had begun

before Hr. Hilton took over the agency and that they might have been

discovered by Mr. Guthrie while he was there in 1921 oamnot be said to

be more than conjecture. Direct responsibility for the loss some to

fall on Mr. Milton who apparently failed to take the ordinary precaution

of checking the balance in the hinds of the olerk, and the Postmuster

General has soms doubt whether he should be entirely exonerated on the

grounds urged by the ostmaster General of Hong Kong; but the point is

one on which Their Lordships will no doubt obtain the opinion of the

Foreign Offics. it is presumed that the recommendation of the

Postmaster General of Hong Kong that no further payments should be

exacted from the Chinese Clerk's guarantor must be accepted.

As regards the responsibility of the Postmuster General of

Hong Kong for the condition of affairs which made the embezzloment

practicable, it is observed that the socounts did not show an

appreqiably larger balunos as retained in respect of Honey Criers

The Jecretary,

TREASURY.

than