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How can the
Q. That is all part of their duty How can you expect the Governor to protect you, if you wont protect yourselves? The only way is for you to give evidence. Governor help you, if you wont help yourselves? The Governor is powerless.
A.—It is a good matter that. It would profit everybody, if they did it, but after they have been prosecuted and come out of gaol again,--if you gentlemen, will be willing to assist us to the utmost, then they will be willing to tell.
Q.-Of course, we will assist you.
A.—What they are afraid of, is Solicitors coming down on them afterwards.
Q.-Solicitors cannot come down on you, for any evidence you give before the Com- mission. If you tell the truth to the Commission, the Commission will give you a letter, and nobody can prosecute you for any evidence you give here. That letter protects you. It is all in the Chinese newspapers. Yo look at our advertisement in the Chinese newspapers. And then, if the Commission is not still sitting, there is the Registrar General, and the Colonial Secretary always here, and you have only to go to the Colonial Secretary or the Registrar General, and they will see you righted. If the first time an Inspector had come to your firm and said you had to give him money, or he would make trouble, and you had gone at once to the Registrar General, or the Colonial Secretary, they would have stopped the thing instantly.
A.—Well, we can do that now.
Q.--Now, you go and explain than to your inaster, and you get him to explain it to all his friends, and if all the Contractors will come forward, as the Fuk On is coming forward now, we will very soon put an end to this trouble. But we want everybody to come and
tell us the truth.
A.-Well, it is just that, that if they think we wont prosecute them, if they do it. It is very hard on the people.
Q-And that is why the Governor has told us to sit here because it is very hard on the people. But if they dont tell us the truth, what can we do ?
Mr. Humphreys.-Are you afraid that when these Inspectors come out of gaol-sup- posing they are convicted-they will worry you again ?
A. Yes.
Q.-In what way?
A.-Well, the fear that you cannot get them into gaol. If your evidence is alright they will go. If not, they will not go to gaol.
Mr. Shelton Hooper.-Well, if they dont go to gaol, what are you afraid will happen?
A.-Well, then they will get Solicitors, and the case will be tried.
Mr. Lau Chu Pak.-
Court, to give evidence?
P
Do you mean to say that the Chinese do not like to go into
A.—It is alright if the evidence carries properly, but then if it does not ?
Q.-Well, if it does not ?
A. We will get implicated about t. If you gentlemen, would protect us, and would
assist us.
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