Part 6

6. Return of New Post Offices established, Post Offices closed, and changes of Names in Post Offices, to be transmitted not later than the seventh day of each month, and to include all operations under this head up to the first day of the month on which the return is sent in, inclusive.

7. Weekly Journals of Railway Mail Clerks in your Division to be transmitted every Tuesday morning.

8. Return of Losses of and Abstractions of money and other articles from letters to be transmitted on the first day of each month. This return can be made out from the record of applications for missing letters, and should include all supposed cases of loss and abstraction entered in the record during the month which have not been erased, in accordance with the instructions under the head of "Cases of Loss and Abstraction." Those cases not erased should be consecutively numbered and the number entered in the return. In the event of a letter being reported as lost which is subsequently found, you should state in the next month's return "No. ----reported in the return for the month of ---- found;" and erase from your record of applications for lost letters.

9. Return of transfer of Post Offices to be transmitted by the tenth day of each month, and to include all transfers taking effect up to the first of the month (on which the return is sent in), inclusive.

10. Journal of Travel and Proceedings not later than six days after the expiration of each month.

11. Requisition for payment of Miscellaneous expenses to include travelling allowances, telegraph bills, and all outlays, except salaries and contractors' pay, not later than six days after the expiration of each month. Only one requisition should be sent in each month. Each requisition should be numbered consecutively throughout each fiscal year. No. 1 should be the first requisition made, for accounts the dates of which should embrace the month of July. On each voucher it must be stated clearly for what object the expense has been incurred. Further, each account must bear a certificate as to its correctness in the hand-writing of the Inspector, and must be accompanied by an official voucher on which must be written the number and date of the authority for the expense.

Trademen's accounts should be included in the requisition made for the last month in each quarter. All outstanding accounts should be included in the requisition for the last month in each quarter, as it is very objectionable that accounts for expenses incurred in one quarter should be included in the requisition made for any following quarter.

The vouchers for travelling expenses claimed by officers not entitled to a per diem allowance, should bear your certificate that the amount claimed is the amount of the actual expenses incurred.

The vouchers for telegraph accounts should bear your certificate that all the telegrams charged for have been sent and received on official business.

All accounts for advertising must be accompanied by copies of the advertisement for which the accounts are rendered.

In making out the requisition the accounts should be entered according to their amounts, the largest amount being entered first, and the smallest amount last.

The accounts should be numbered consecutively in the above order on the back.

The number on each account should correspond with the number of its entry in the requisition.

The accounts and vouchers themselves should be placed and forwarded in the order in which entered.

It is very important that the cheques received in payment of accounts should be promptly acknowledged by returning the form sent with them, and that when paid the vouchers should be always returned with the printed letter of advice, in the same order in which entered in the requisition, so that they can be readily checked.

12. One copy of each Time Bill in use should be forwarded on the first day of each quarter. The Bills sent to be classified according to frequency of service, and arranged alphabetically.

Accompanying these Bills should be sent a memorandum of all changes made during the past month in the Bills used.

13. Returns of Railway and Steam Boat Service to be sent in on the first of each month. These Returns to be personally examined by the Inspector before they are sent in.

14. Annual Return of all cases of loss or abstraction to be transmitted on or before the 1st October in each year.

This return should include all cases of loss or abstraction occurring within the year ended the 30th June last past, as well as all such cases occurring at the end of the preceding year as it may not have been possible to include that year's return.

Each case should be entered in order according to the date on which the letter was posted. The Return should be divided into two parts.

The first part should include only Registered Letters, the cases of entire loss of the letter being entered separately from cases of abstraction of the contents of the letter.

The second part should include only unregistered letters, the cases of loss being also entered separately from the cases of abstraction.

This return should be very carefully prepared. It constitutes the material from which the annual statement for Parliament has to be compiled, and the explanations given under the head of "Result of Proceedings" should be such as fully to justify every step taken during and subsequent to the investigations instituted.

15. A Return of the Mail Service in operation in your Division on the 1st day of July, in each year, to be transmitted by the first of the following month.

The services in this return to be entered alphabetically and to be classified according to frequency of service, the distances between the termini of the several routes also, to be accurately stated. Suspended winter services to be given as a supplement.

SALARIES AND ALLOWANCES.

1. With the exception of Postmasters in the cities, Postmasters' salaries are based on a commission on the amount of postage on matter prepaid by stamps and posted at their offices, viz.: 40 per cent. on the first $800 per annum or $200 per quarter, and 25 per cent. on the balance, with a minimum salary of $10 per annum in cases where the postage on the matter pre-paid by stamps is less than $25. These salaries are to be revised every two years, but in very special cases where there has been an exceptional increase of revenue or work, the case may be reported on for the Postmaster General's consideration.