Kuei Hong oad Hau Ying-kuei have the Granariee which they have drawn up honour to submit the report on the Peking
accordance with the instructions conveyed in the Imperial Decree of the 6th April directing that an enquiry be held into the wtato of the Peking Granaries as the Censor HungLiang-pain had denounced a multitude of buses connected with these establishments, The original memorial of the Censor was transcribed and handed to memorialists by the Grand Council and after a careful are therein brought against Hang lien and perusal it a} that four specific charges
Po-chuan, Directors of thi i namely fraud, thescreening of subordinates, disposition to let things take their own course, and finally. peculation. As this was matter of the highest importance it was necessary to go' into it most carefully and their secretaries to collect evidence and memorialists accordingly at once deputed
proofs. They themselves in communication with the Granary yamen calling on the latter to furnish the necessary documents and witnesses. Eventually on the 26th of April these were forthcoming together with the various bonds executed storekeepers. under seal by the superintendent and
Memorialists were then in a position to examine in detail the various points raised by the Censor. With reference to his statement that on his first inspection of 'Memorialists have come to the conclusion the Lumi Granary he found the doors that the abuses in connection with the unclosed and an extensive system of pilfer-Granaries are many, and that' could they ing going on and that a year later a deficit be thoroughly reformed a daily improve-of 160,000 piculs of rice was discovered, ment would be the result. They find that memorialists find that this deficit is cor-the Directors are certainly to be blamed in the of the Directors, but as the tainly to be attributed to carelessness on that they failed to discover beforehand the deficit in the Lumi Granary, and for the superintendents have been tried and sen-culpable negligence they have displayed tenced by the Board of Punishments and in connection with the execution of the a decree has been issued—directing the repairs. What punishments to be awarded infliction of the necessary punishment on the to them for their shortcomings rests Directors in addition to their being required with the Emperor to decide. Memorialists are unable to certify to the accuracy of the would not ai necessary to further to make good " proportion of the los, it Into the matter, As regards, Is. second returns of the grain at present in store, nor can they do so under a year, seeing that statement that brokers were in the habit there are twelve granaries and the inspec-of receiving supplies from the Peihsin tion of the Lumi granary took over a Granary without even presenting tickets month. They would however suggest that. and the defence of their employes on the part of the Directors, memorialists find the issue of all rie be stopped except at one granary and when that has been that this charge was first brought to the exhausted the returns of grain issued Emperor's notice in the 6th moon of can be compared with the returns of Kuang Hsii XIV by the Censor who at what is said to be now in store. The the same time wrote the G yamen st vigilance will of course require on the subject. In the reply of the to be exercised and detailed ions Directors to his letter, mem lists can-will have to be drawn up by the Board of not find any statement, absolutely denying Revenue and after the lapse of several the truth of the charge and possibly the years the accuracy or inaccuracy of the Censor refers to a sentence in their present returns will stand clearly revealed. memorial in which they state that soldiers In a postscript memorial the writers go were in the habit of selling their grain on to criticise the suggestions for reform-tickets to shops who went to the granaries ing these various abuses thrown out by and received the grain in their stead. The
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.