Chapter IV

RETURNS TO BE MADE TO THE DEPARTMENT AT OTTAWA.

1. _The Returns required_ by the Department at Ottawa should be rendered punctually, as follows:

2. _Pay Lists for salaries_ to be forwarded so as to reach Ottawa not later than the 23rd of each month. Should any fines be imposed or stoppage of pay take place after the list has been despatched, the fact should be communicated to the Postmaster General by telegraph.

In every case in which a new name appears on the pay list, or in which there has been any fine or alteration of salary, the number and date of the letter conveying the Postmaster General's authority therefor must be written at the foot of the list.

3. _Pay Lists for Mail Services_, accompanied by the necessary receipts or vouchers, to be transmitted on the last day of each quarter, and to include all services performed during the quarter. If the exact amount due to a contractor cannot be ascertained, the service should be entered in the proper place, and the figures left blank. The voucher in such case should be transmitted to the Accountant as soon afterwards as possible. The figure columns in the pay list should always be added up, and the total entered in ink. The distances entered in the vouchers or receipts for Mail Services should, agree with the distances entered in the variation returns.

4. _Return of Variations in the Mail Service expenditure_ to be transmitted on the last day of each month, and to include all new contracts and Mail Services, all renewals and transfers of existing contracts, and all variations in Mail Service taking effect during the month.

As cheques are issued to the contractors on the entries in the pay lists and variation returns, it is necessary that they should be correct in every particular, and that both names and figures should be distinctly written.

5. _Return of new Post routes established and of Post routes discontinued_ to be transmitted not later than the seventh day of each month, and to include all such changes in Mail Services taking effect during the previous month.

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[1] 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.