An inquest was conducted at the Public Mortuary by Judge Vu and Mr. C. D, Meinhardt, Senior Consul' Deputy, on August 16, over the body of a Chinese youth who was found dead in a cotton bin at 4.30 am. that morning at No. 15 Nagai Wata Kaisha Cotton Mill in Gordon Road.
Sub-Inspr. Barry said that the deceased, a sweeper, at 3.15 o'clock on Aug. 16, went for a rest in a large cotton bin and fell asleep, He was found later by another coolie at 4.80 a.m. covered with cot-the factory, It was at this state, while on their way to the factory, that the inspector seized the ignition key Visit to Police Station After the inspector had alighted from the truck, the driver followed suit and there followed a wordy argument which soon attracted crowd and brought a Chinese con-Stable on to the scene. The result was that the constable took the truck, the driver and the inspector Lowza Police Station, where matters were sifted out following an inquiry into the facts of the exse, Chief Inspector} MacKenzzie filed a charge against] the Stamp Tax Bureau inspector and he was granted bail in the sum of]
$1,000.
The case came up for hearing at the Provisional Court on August 17 before Judge Chen and Mr Hasegawa, Senior Consul's Deputy, and the inspector, Yau Tsoong-hal} Was charged with extortion under "Articles 258 and 364 of the C.P.C.
Code.
Mr. R. T. Bryan, Police Prosecutor, after nientioning' the facts of the ease ax stated above, said that the Range cases of cigarettes, from which the smaller packages had been taken, bore the required tax stamps, and that these were dated August 15. The straps had been placed on the cases by the factory and the inspector had no authority to order the additional stamps to be placed on the smaller boxes. Further, the ins spector had mo right whatsoever to collect the tax in the Settlement. The Stamp Fax Bureau maintained offices in the Settlement, with the authority of the Settlement An. thorities, but it was only on the understanding that such offices were for the sale of the stamps.
Officials in Pactories Chief Inspr. MacKenzie said that] the factory had complied with the regulations and in proof submitted some of the Government stamps which he had removed from the cases fon *the truck. Witness said that, With regard to the collection of the cigarette stamp tax, his orders were that no such collections could be enforced within the Settlement, and the same applied to the salt, saltpetre and wine tax stamps, for! all of which offices were allowed in the Settlement for the sale of stamps only. "The accused admitted to witness on Wednesday that he was! wrong in interfering with the truck. driver, for the Cigarette Stamp Tax Bureau knew full well the regula tions under which they were allowed to operate in the Settlement.
Chief Inspr. MacKenzie, in reply to Mr. Bryan, said that following the arrest of the inspector on Wednesday, officials from the Bureau had visited the Police Station and ae.
Knowledged that the inspector acted in an illegal manner.
Tudge"Chen questioned the tax mr spector who said that officials: from
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.