APRIL 3.] THE NEW ZEALAND GAZETTE. 1093

of leave taken during December is to be made from the leave authorized. All such deductions are to be notified to the Secretary.

224. Two sets of schedules are to be prepared in which the names of officers are to be entered in alphabetical order, as follows:—
(1.) Officers at the Chief Office.
(2.) Officers at sub-offices, which should be set out in alphabetical order.

225. Linemen should make individual applications to the Chief Telegraph Engineer, through the District Telegraph Engineers.

226. In cases in which officers do not desire annual leave, their names, and the names of their offices, length of service, and leave taken, must appear in the proper places.

227. Chief Postmasters and Officers in Charge should arrange the annual leave of their officers so that it will be spread equally over the whole year, in order to avoid inconvenience to the public and the Department through too many officers being absent at one time.

228. To prevent deductions for leave by substitute, a note should be made at the foot of the schedule showing the number of days taken for which a substitute may have been provided. This also applies to special leave on account, for instance, of military parades and encampments, and official attendance at Courts of law. The circumstances attending special leave taken for other purposes must also be similarly set out. The reference marks to the footnotes should be made in red ink in the “Special leave” column. To insure uniformity care should be taken to prepare the schedules in accordance with the directions thereon. Telegraph message-boys should be designated “Message-boys,” and Post-office messengers “P.O. Messengers.” Each schedule and its duplicate must exactly correspond in the order, number of entries, &c. Officers’ length of service must be checked by the Departmental List.

229. Care must be taken to see that when more than the authorized leave is applied for in any case a special application is attached, and the matter referred to in the covering letter. Officers are not allowed to forestall their leave of absence for a subsequent year, and are not granted annual leave beyond the regulation limit, unless the circumstances are very exceptional.

230. As individual applications from officers at the chief post and chief telegraph offices need not be sent, a covering letter should accompany the schedules, setting out the cases in which leave is recommended to be withheld or reduced owing to misconduct or indifferent record during the year. Leave of absence will be granted only to such officers as merit it. The proposals for the employment of substitutes, where necessary, should also be dealt with in the covering letter.

231. Officers sitting for the Civil Service Examinations may be granted leave for the whole day on each of the days they sit for examination if arrangements for their relief can conveniently be made locally.

232. Subject to departmental requirements, leave of absence will be granted to Post and Telegraph officers when required for service under the Defence Act, and such leave is not to be deducted from annual leave of absence.

233. Special leave in order to attend rifle shooting meetings in New Zealand may be granted to officers who are members of the Territorial Force or of recognized rifle clubs, provided that such officers have been chosen to represent their corps or rifle club at such meeting. Application for such leave will not, how-