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Chairman: I gathered from Major Manners that Mr. Burnie was 1.0. in charge
and that you were the other officer who paid a visit?
A. Yes.
Q.
A.
I gathered also from your questions put to Major Manners that it was
common ground that you were inside the lounge taking part in the pass-
port examination of passengers?
I was endeavouring to teach Mr. Burnie as I had received complaints from
the same company that there was unnecessary delay in the examination of
their ships and I came on board specially that morning.
Q. You will see the extract says there were two foreigners?
A.
It has just been brought to my notice that there must have been a third.
There was also a Russian in plain clothes Sergeant Korshoonoff, P.S.31,
In any case, this information is not strictly accurate especially as
regards my official status, etc., and I will say I noticed at the time
that Mr. Burnie's attitude at the examination was rather that of a
supervisor than that of a person taking active part. The reason why
the personal guarantee of Mr. Keswick, once I had been assured of his
identity, was more acceptable than cash, can be inferred from what I
said in my memorandum about the undesirability of receiving cash. That
these Chinese gentlemen were prominent or otherwise, or whether any of
the passengers whom I saw that day were, I did not know, except for
Mr. Keswick himself, whose name I knew. I simply deny that I used a
bullying manner and I would be glad to have the opportunity of calling
Mr. Clague, the only person not in my service who I remember to have
been present at the time.
Chairman: I see that lir. Burnie apparently was in charge "supervising" I
think was the word Mr. Forrest used.
Mr. Brown: At a previous hearing I asked if the Immigration Department had
taken over in toto what more or less was the Immigration Department in
these days; that is passports, passport control and inspection, etc.,
and the reply was yes. Does that mean that all the Europeans as well as
the Police Department officers and clerical staff were taken over by
the Immigration Department?
Mr. Forrest:
No, when the police dealt with passports there were two
sections, the inner and outer. The inner section dealt with the grant-
Ing of passports and visas: I have taken that section over in toto.
No comments yet.
Private notes are available after approval.