Sessional_Paper_1907 — Page 408

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During my stay in Canton, Sham Iu did call at my house several times, and asked my "people to write up telling me not to come down. I think he also persuaded Au Sui Shang not to tell the truth, and I know he called at my house to advise my people to write to tell "me not to return to Hongkong.

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"Lo Tsung, the sexton at Mount. Davis, is a clansman of mine. I recommended him to "the Tung Wa Hospital to be the caretaker of the Mortuary. I recommended him because he begged me to find him a better job, as he did not like the post of sexton. When the Fuk On scavenging contractor started business, a man named Lam Yuk Shui came to my office, and "asked where I lived. One evening he called and told me he had spoken to Leung In about paying me some tea money. His excuse for asking for this money from Leung In, was that "I would be able to assist him in carrying out his contract work smoothly, if some bonus was "paid to me.

He took me to go to see Leung In, and Cheng Po Shun, and asked them to (C pay me $500.

I think it was ever tually arranged to pay $400. That money was paid to Leung Yuk Shui, but I only rece.ved $150.

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"I remember the bill sent in by Sham Iu for opening up ground surfaces for inspection, "and filling the holes dug up. Some of them were made out by Inspector H. Gidley, and they were all certified by him as correct. I did suspect that Sham Iu did not do all the work, "because I learned form my friends that in some cases the work was done by the coolies "taken round Inspector H. Gidley, and in some cases the holes dug up by the coolies were filled in by my friends themselves. When I last saw Mr. Hooper in Canton, I was "afraid to tell the truth, because I did not quite believe that by telling the truth I might not +6 get into serious trouble. As you now have promised to ask the Commission to give me a letter of indemnification if I were to tell the truth, I now tell you frankly what I have done, "and personally known.

"I do not know much about Foo Sik. He is the contractor for supplying labour and "material for the Plague Cemetery, and the Chinese cemeteries. I know that he sublets "the work of making coffins, and coffining dead bodies to Sham Iu. I can't say whether "his charges for work done at the cemetery are proper or not, as the bills are certified

'by Mr. Bryan.

CC

"Declared before ine, (signed) Lau Chu Pak. 17th August, 1906.

(Signed) Lo Man Kai."

262.The Chairman.-There are certain questions I want to ask you about this state- ment. I understand from your statement, Mr. Lo Man Kai, that first of all you wanted to go shares with Lui Chi, and if so, you would have tried to help him to obtain the tender for the small stores contract, and that as he refused to give you a share, you then fell in with Sham In's idea, and got the contract for Au Sui Shang ?

A.—And if he agreed, I would not have askel anybody else to put in a tender.

Q. Do you mean to say that you could have stopped other people from putting in tenders ?

A.-No, Sir.

Q.-If you found somebody talking about putting in a ten ler, would you have succeed- ed in choking them off, do you think?

A.-No.

Mr. Lau Chu Pak.-You had put in a cheaper tender, in order to get the contract ?