CO129-590-11 Commission of Enquiry into irregularities in Immigration Departments 22-4-1941 - 19-12-1941 — Page 337

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time.

In consultation with the accountant

on the other side I managed to disperse the bad atmosphere and to settle the matter amicably, but the process covered several weeks which could have been better spent.

The Commissioners, further, are probably unaware of

the staff difficulties which confront the Accountant-General,

both as regards the Treasury itself and the accounts of

Government in general. Local approval was given some twelve

months ago for the creation of the post of Treasury Inspector,

one of whose duties it would have been to concentrate on such

a new department as the Immigration Office. It was decided,

however, that the appointment should await the financial year

1941/42 and therefore no such officer was available at the

time with which we are concerned. In the meantime the

Treasury is endeavouring to carry out its duties with the

same senior staff as in normal times but with payments pass-

ing through it at the rate of $100,000,000 and more per

annum, as against some $62,000,000 in 1937. It is, perhaps,

hardly necessary for me to point out that even in normal

times Treasury endeavours to practice itself what it is con-

tinually preaching to other departments economy in depart-

mental administration costs.

From the more general aspect of Government accounts

I have, for many months past, been complaining of the lack

of members of the Senior Clerical and Accounting Staff with

any accounting ability. I estimate that barely one-third

of that service has even the most elementary experience in

such matters, whilst those who can be described as "account-

ants", capable of instituting a system of even simple

accounts, probably do not number half-a-dozen (and not even

that if the term "accountant" is to be taken in the sense in

which it would be understood by at least one of the Commission- ers). I could suggest a remedy for that state of affairs,

and would have done so long ago had times been normal and

had I been the substantive holder of the post of Accountant-

General to the Hong Kong Government.

But the fact remains