CO129-590-11 Commission of Enquiry into irregularities in Immigration Departments 22-4-1941 - 19-12-1941 — Page 72

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MR. BARTON.

Chairman: Mr. Barton, you will appreciate that what we are

investigating is whether or not there was instituted an effective

and adequate financial system in the Immigration Department. We

Don't want necessarily anything involved or comprehensive as long

as it is an adequate system for the purpose of the work which the

department had to undertake. Can you tell us what conclusion you

came to from your own visit to the Department which was the first

made by the financial advisers to the Government?

I was asked by Mr. Pudney to visit the office after several

complaints had been received, and when I reached the office I

decided in my own mind that it would be impracticable for me to

carry out a very careful investigation; the report which is before

you is a casual first impression report that I got of what I saw.

I felt that if I were to go into the thing thoroughly it would

mean holding up the officers in a hard pressed department, with

crowds outside, so I decided I would report my impressions as far

as I could.

Have you had an opportunity since then of checking these

impressions?

Not personally by going over the department but from reports from

secured officers who have reported to me.

Were these secured officers employed in the Immigration Department?

They were shroffs supplied by me.

And they have reported to you that conditions made it very

difficult?

They did not report in an official way, but they remarked that

things were rather confused, and complained they did not exactly

know how to carry on.

Your own first impression was that there was in fact no accounting

system, is that putting it too high?

I said in the opening paragraph of my report there was no

accounting officer attached to the department, with the result that

the matter was in the hands of very junior officers.