CO129-517-14 Use of government vessels by the Governor of Hong Kong- for private and official occasions... 5-7-1929 - 16-11-1929 — Page 5

is sofficially Chine to penert further debates with t.

Audit Peft- рук band of your

virus

Walter P. Ellis

Mr.Ellis,

So far as Audit is concerned, the new

General Order 411 is clear and should render

Audit queries unnecessary unless its pro-

visions are disregarded.

As regards the policy of it, which is

not primarily a matter for the Audit Depart-

ment, the General Order seems to give the

Governor what it was intended he should have

(by S. of S's. despatch of 15th July). But

it also gives the Colonial Secretary the

same right as the Governor to the free use

of a Government launch as his yacht (the

Harbour Master in practice would always be

able to secure a launch for his own private

use if he wanted to, whatever the Regulations,

as he could as Head of the Department running

the launches always find some official reason

satisfactory to himself for using it); and it'

(section 4) offers a loophole by which pay-

ment by other officers for the private use

of Government launches might be evaded with

the consent of the Harbour Master and Colonial

Secretary, who, as ex officio privileged

officers themselves, might feel it invidioug

to