( 2 )
8
locked receptacles.
The key of the safe during the day
remains in the key hole of the empty safe.
3.
On the
Such is the normal procedure followed.
morning of the robbery, however, the general office was
closed by a locked grill gate and secondly by an inner door.
Recently the Public Works Departments were making certain
repairs to the hinges of one wing of this latter door and as
a result threw out of alignment the door so that the lock
would not work effectively until the person locking the door
had raised one section of the winged door. I understand
from Mr. Hynes that the mail clerk on arrival on the morning
of the robbery found this door securely locked indicating
that when last locked the peculiar action necessary to secure
it had been performed, and suggesting that no one had passed
through that doorway since it was fastened the previous night
by the mail clerk.
4. In view of the foregoing facts as furnished me by
the Superintendent of Mails it would appear that the key
of this safe, which should contain value amounting to $3,860, is never in possession of any senior officer whose
duties include the custody or control of cash.
The duties of the senior mail clerk and the Superinten-
dent of Mails, I assume, do not have any connection with the accuracy of the cash and stamp holdings of the shroffs. It would appear to be a reasonable inference that such duties are embodied in the responsibilities of the Postal Accountant
who should retain the key in his personal possession and
open and close the safe daily after seeing that each shroff had removed or replaced his locked receptacle in the safe.
5. Any system which permits the key of the safe to
remain during business hours in the lock of the safe, I
submit, invites robbery by providing the means for securing
a duplicate key by impression.
The
Page
Page
(3)
age 9
9
The practice of permitting any shroff to close and
lock the safe should be discontinued.
Such duty would appear
to be that of the officer responsible for the safe custody
of the cash.
I would make an additional recommendation, not
specifically designed as an outcome of this robbery,
each shroff should be provided with a small passbook and
This record
be required to enter therein each day after close of business
the details of his stamp and cash holdings.
would be valuable, especially so had it been in force at the
time of this event.
Finally, I would invite reference to Colonial Regulation
207 which prescribes "that no officer will be relieved of any
portion of his responsibility should he depute to his sub-
ordinates the performance of duties which he should have per-
formed himself" I submit that this regulation is applicable
in respect of the system in force for the custody of stamp
imprests in charge of Postal Shroffs.
(Sgd) P.J.A. HAMILTON.
2nd Assist. Auditor.
age 9
Pa
10
No.
Name of Shroff.
Value of
Imprest.
Value found.
Shortage.
Notes.
1
Kwong Kwai
$400
$146.62
2
Au Wai Shau
$400
$273.04
$253.38.
$126.96
3
Lai Ying
$400
$342.78
$ 57.22
4
Ng Tim
$450
$393.70
$ 56.30
All locked receptacles
for these values appear
to have been prized open.
5
Wong Ming (Treasury)
$300
$240.00
$60.00
6
Ha Tsau
$400
$219.13
$180.87
7
Au Kit
$400
$285.47
$114.53
8
Woo Woon Luen
(Tax correspondence)
$200
$151.50
$ 48.50
9
Ho Yuk Man
$500
$171.03
$328,97
10
Chan Ming
$400
$ 17.64
$382.36
11
Leung Chee (No. 2 Postman) $ 10
8.40
1.60
$3,860
$2,249.31
$1,610.69
Less loose stamps found
scattered on office floor
21.60
Total shortage
$1,589.09
Absent in Aberdeen. P. M. G. 's
findings accepted.
P.M.G.'s findings accepted not checked.
Accepted by Treasury and Post Office as correct.
Pa
10
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