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Q-Have you heard any individual say anything of that kind?
A.-No; I have heard it repeated, but I have never heard it directly stated as a fact or by any man who would know anything about it.
Q. What we want to get at is the names of any of the people who even repeat this sort of thing. If we get their names we could ask them where they heard it.
A. If Mr. BIRD has heard any particular thing he has probably told it to me, but I have never heard anything else. For myself I should have very little belief in any of these reports. I think the subordinates have great opportunities. The Chinese as a race think nothing of it at all.
Q.--It is part of their way of doing business?
A. Yes, and they think it quite right. If any man is inclined to be dishonest he has opportunities.
Q.—Hon. A. LISTER.-There is one question I would ask you. It has been sug- gested as a means of stopping this at its source as much as possible, that instead of allowing these Overseers to measure work an independent measuring officer should be attached to the department who would have nothing else to do, or very little else, than to go about and measure the work done, and supply the Chinese with a printed form which would serve them as the basis of their bill if not as the bill itself, so that the Over-
seer should have nothing to do with the measuring or verification of the work in any way.
A.—I should say that would be a very good thing indeed. It would do away with the opportunity for corruption to a great extent. It is work
It is work you could get a supe. rior man to do, but you cannot expect it from the Overseer.
Q. What do you think he should be paid?
A.-I should think you could get a man out from home for $200 or $250.
Q.-Without quarters or anything else?
A.—I should allow him his chair. I should think you could get a well educated Overseer for that.
Q.-For $250 a month and chair allowance?
A. Yes.
Mr. BOWDLER is recalled,-
The CHAIRMAN.-We asked you to attend merely for this purpose. What we asked you to supply us with was a statement of the passages and paragraphs of which the Department complain.
Mr. BOWDLER.-I have not got the papers.
The CHAIRMAN. We don't want to enter into any correspondence at all on the subject of newspapers. We simply want you to comply with our request.
No comments yet.
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