CO129-494 - Governor Sir Clementi - 1926 [9-10] — Page 563

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:

"having been collected, represents the total

"payments made to them."

In my letter No.53 of the 24th of September 1924 to the Hon: Colonial Secretary, enclosing a copy of Mr. Dallin's report, it will be observed that I gave my opinion that the irregular practice of accepting money without giving an official receipt should be remedied

in future. Considerable correspondence ensued, and although Sir R.E.Stubbs appears to have considered that the system was very unsatisfactory in many ways.

he ultimately concurred with the Treasurer's advice

that it was not possible, without a large increase of

staff, to give receipts immediately, and accepted the

assurance of the Treasurer that collections made after

the daily payment into the Bank would be entered in

the Collection Books and receipts signed as far as

possible. On the 26th November, 1924, I minuted in

this connection to the Colonial Secretary "I regret

to record my disagreement with the Hon: Treasurer",

You will, no doubt, agree with me that the

Treasurer, by signing receipts when possible, or

entering collections after payment into the Bank has

been made, evolved no adequate safeguard against the

possibility of irregularities to which his attention

had been drawn because, unless the Shroffs are super-

vised at the time payments are received, they can as

easily deceive the officer, or officers, who write up

the collection books, as regards the money for which

no receipt has been given, as they can an officer of

the Audit Department who makes a survey.

5. On the 10th of April, 1926, a further survey

was made of the Treasury cash balances, by the Assistant

Auditor