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Q.-Are you aware of foremen ever getting gratuities for assisting the Contractors to make out their bills?
A.-No, I am not.
Q.-But it is a recognised thing that they have to assist the Contractor in making out his bills?.
A. Well, it is a known thing. We do it simply to get the work through, but strictly speaking it is the Contractor's business, and our Contractor employs an English speaking Portuguese clerk for the purpose; in fact, the Contractor does assist in making out the bills, and the foreman only assists, he does not make them out for him.
Q.-Have you had any cases of clerks or others taking presents from Contractors?
A.-Of course in a large department like ours, all over the world, such things do occur, but I have heard of none here. I have no reason to believe it. No doubt there are opportunities. The first Christmas I was here I had a lot of presents sent to me, and I had a lot of trouble in writing letters to return them; the second year not so many, and this year none.
Q.-Were they trifling presents?
A.-Some of them were rather valuable.
Q.-Will you tell us what they were?
A.-One was a diamond scarf ring, a pair of bronze and silver vases, a set of bronze cups, two or three crape shawls, and hams and boxes of cigars.
Q. Any champagne, might I ask, because that seems to be a favourite article?
A.-No. There were cakes.
Q.-The cakes and hams seem to be recognised Christmas presents, but we have had more difficulty in getting any one to admit anything more valuable. Then you think an officer who has shown himself willing to take valuable presents might have large offers of that kind?
A.-Oh, yes; that is to say, I was astonished that such large offers were made; in fact I thought they were hardly bona fide. I thought they would not have sent such presents if they had not thought they would be returned. Colonel PAPILLON told me they did the same thing to him.
Q.-You thought their idea was they would be returned?
A.-It seemed to me the presents were so valuable, worth $50 or so, I should say. I thought they had a strong idea they would come back to them or they would hardly
have sent them.
Q.—I doubt that. I fancy they were intended to be kept.
A.-I mean to say if they thought they would have been kept they perhaps would not have sent quite so much.
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