CO129-590-11 Commission of Enquiry into irregularities in Immigration Departments 22-4-1941 - 19-12-1941 — Page 101

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the leant of it, remunerative, was brought to my notice; but I

declined to extend the sphere of my responsibility to the extent of

protection of incoming passengers from the indirect consequences of

their own failure to comply with the low.

Another consequence of the vicious deposit system was to

bring to light the pitiful inadequacy of the imprest account of $2,000

with which I was furnished at the outset. The subsequent history of

this imprest is revealed in the following minutes from 030. files.

I have made a precis of the minutes only, sir.

control

On 16.11.40 I mimited to Financial secretary in C80.2861/40

asking for an imprest of $2,000; the warrant was signed on 19.11.40.

On 22.1.41 - seven days after the enforcement of the immigration

Booountant-General applied on my behalf for a further

imprest of $10,000; this warrant was signed the same day (C30.161/40).

On 9.2.41 I wrote very urgently and strongly to Colonial

Secretary stating that the $22,000 then available was utterly in-

sufficient, and asking that it be increused to $40,000 for as long

ca the deposit system existed; a minute of /cet. General of 14.2.41

expleins the discrepancy in the figures; spparently satisfied with

my explanation that $10,000 was insufficient, he had on his own

responsibility arranged for its increase to $22,000. He agrees in

thebo e minute that the $40,000 asked for is not excessive.

follows a minute by Financial Secretary in which is contained the

only reference to the immigration fund as recommended by Nr. Middle-

brook which I have been able to trace; the reference is concise and

uninformative. It renda: "A self-balancing fund is out of the

question"

There

Increase of my imprest to $40,000 was approved on 17.2.41

(Again in C80,161/40).

The imprest was at length increased to a figure coranonsu-

rate with the demands; but not before much inconvenience had been

caused to the public and mich needless anxiety to my myself and my

staff, as when cheques drawn by me in favour of the General Agent

and of the money-changer above- entioned, who had come to my essis-

tance with cash when the crowd at ry s became restive on account

of the day, had been dishonoured. The comment of the financial