subordinate officers, the amount to be subject to
the decision of the Postmaster-General.

4. The security required of a Postmaster or
   other officer may be given by means of two or
   more approved bondsmen, or of a Guarantee
   Society, the latter being preferred. If, after giving
   the security of such a Society, a Postmaster
   should omit to pay his premium in proper time,
   and should he fail to do so, it will
   be necessary to take charge of his office.

5. In the event of the bankruptcy, insolvency,
   withdrawal, or death of either of his sureties,
   or the withdrawal of the security of the Guarantee
   Society, the Postmaster concerned must give
   immediate notice to the Secretary, and furnish
   the names of new sureties; and if a Postmaster
   should himself become a bankrupt or insolvent,
   he must report the circumstances at once to the
   Secretary. A Postmaster should enforce similar
   rules in regard to subordinate officers giving bond
   to himself.

6. Postmasters, whether Chief Postmasters,
   Postmasters, or Sub-Postmasters, are under the
   direction of the Secretary, Postmasters and Sub-
   Postmasters being also under the immediate
   direction of their respective Chief Postmasters.

7. It is the duty of a Chief Postmaster, or Post-
   master, by a careful observation of their proceed-
   ings, to see that Postmasters and Sub-Postmasters
   within his district observe the rules laid down for
   their guidance, he should suffer no breach of the
   rules to pass unnoticed; and if the breach be
   flagrant, or if his admonitions should be neglected,
   he must at once report the case to the Secretary.

8. A candidate for an appointment in the Post
   Office Department will be required to furnish
   proper evidence as to his age, and certificates of
   character from two persons, who, when practicable,
   should not be relatives of the candidate. If the
   candidate has been in any employment, or has
   recently left school, it is desirable that his last
   employer, or his teacher, as the case may be,
   should be one of the certifiers; the candidate
   will also be required to furnish a medical certi-
   cate of his health. Any expense which may be
   incurred for the medical examination, or in pro-
   curing evidence of age, &c., must be paid by
   the candidate. The candidate will afterwards be
   examined in accordance with the rules of the Civil
   Service, in order to ascertain whether he possesses
   the necessary qualifications for the appointment
   he seeks. The papers for his examination will be
   sent to the Postmaster, who must conduct it in
   strict accordance with the rules prescribed, and
   return the papers to the Secretary. If the candi-
   date be found eligible he will receive a certi-
   cate of qualification, and will receive a proba-
   tionary appointment in the numerical order of his
   application, and as vacancies occur. When he
   has been on duty for six months the result of his
   probation must be reported to the Secretary, and
   if the report be satisfactory, the appointment will
   be confirmed by the Postmaster-General, and it
   will date from the commencement of the pro-
   bation.

9. The following are the qualifications required

THE NEW ZEALAND GAZETTE.

of candidates for junior appointments in the
Post Office:—

Letter carriers can be promoted to clerkships,
provided they pass the Civil Service examination,
and are recommended for promotion.

10. Every vacancy must be immediately
    reported to the Secretary; and when the salary
    is paid by scale, such salary must be stated at the
    minimum pay of the class in which the new
    appointment is to be made; when the vacancy is
    caused by resignation, the letter of resignation
    must accompany the report.

11. A Postmaster is responsible for the inte-
    grity, sobriety, diligence, and efficiency of the
    clerks, letter carriers, and messengers attached
    to his office. He is expected to be himself
    familiar with, and proficient in the performance
    of the various duties of the office. He must
    also be fully acquainted with all rules made for
    the government of his department, and must see
    that his subordinates also are fully acquainted
    with them; and he is bound to take care that such
    rules are not infringed with impunity by any
    officer under him. Every officer must append his
    signature to a copy of these rules, to show that he
    has carefully perused them.

12. A Postmaster should be especially careful
    to see that every officer of his department,
    through whose hands any official money passes,
    accounts for the same as soon as possible. The
    accounts of the window clerks should be strictly
    examined at short and regular intervals, and the
    Postmaster should always personally ascertain
    that the clerks in charge of the issue and payment
    of money orders, and the sale of postage stamps,
    do actually possess all the money orders and postage
    stamps which their accounts show to be still on
    hand. This rule is necessary with regard to the
    interests both of the Postmasters, who are respon-
    sible for any defalcations on the part of their subor-
    dinates, and of the subordinates themselves, who,
    by lax superintendence of their principals, may
    be led into temptation which they may be unable
    to resist.

13. It is important, as well for the safety of the
    public as for the character and security of the
    department, that no officer should become entangled
    in debt; and it is therefore expressly forbidden
    that any officer should become security for any
    fellow officer in raising a loan, or that he should
    draw, accept, or indorse accommodation bills, or,
    directly or indirectly concern himself in such
    transactions. Any officer who borrows money
    from his subordinate, or who lends money to his
    superior officer, renders himself liable to dis-
    missal.