CO129-508-5 Supreme Court of Hong Kong- slackness of registry accounting methods 28-10-1927 - 23-4-1928 — Page 14

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1.

to his substantive appointment as Secretary to the Director of Public Works. Fortunately at this

juncture it became possible to appoint Kr. D.. PE19567

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Tratman, a Cadet officer with considerable Treasury

experience, to take up temporarily the work of

Official Receiver. Apart from the somewhat large

number of unclosed bankruptcies, Mr. Tratman found

little amiss with the Official Receiver's accounts

(which include the Companies' liquidation account)

and prior to his transfer in November, 1926, to the

post of Assistant Colonial Secretary he was able to

report that this branch of the Supreme Court accounts

had been put on a satisfactory footing and that departmental instructions had been i.sued to ensure

their maintenance in that condition. On Iir. Tratman's

transfer Ir. Agassiz was given the substantive

appointment of Official Receiver.

3. But the position with regard to the accounts of the Registry of the Supreme Court was unfortunately far from satisfactory. In September, 1926, Ir.Dallin, then Acting Auditor, inspected these accounts and made a confidential report dated 16th September, 1926,

This document was referred

clo. No. of which I enclose a copy.

Enclo.

Laclo. No. 3.

RE 23071

to Mr. H.A. Nisbet, the Registrar of the Supreme Court, for a full and prompt report on all the points raised, and I enclose a copy of his reply dated the 7th October, 1926, together with a report from the Shroff, Kr. So Ut Tai, regarding the apparent shortage of $200 in his cash. On the 21st September the Registrar applied for an advance of $32,000 from Government funds for the purpose of making payment to

distraining