Aug. 8.]

THE NEW ZEALAND GAZETTE.

2017

inspection to the Chief Postmaster, and the Chief Postmaster to
the Secretary, before the 10th of the following month. Superin-
tendents and Postmasters at offices at which the message-boys are
in uniform will make a similar inspection once a week. The report
will in this case be made monthly by Postmasters to Chief Post-
masters and monthly by Chief Postmasters and Superintendents
to the Secretary. Officers provided with uniform are to sign, on
the occasion of each inspection, a statement that the whole of the
equipment on issue to them is in their possession, and once a quarter
they are to produce all the articles for inspection at the office.

129. All losses of articles of uniform or bicycle accessories are
     to be reported to the Secretary, who will decide in each case
     whether the officer at fault is to be required to pay the whole or
     portion of the value of the article at the time of its loss, and, if
     necessary, fix the amount.

PROPERTY, STORES, AND STATIONERY.

130. (a.) Office fittings, furniture, &c., are required to be kept
     clean and in repair, and are to be used exclusively for official pur-
     poses. They must be brought to charge in the Stores Property
     Register supplied to each permanent office. The massing of any
     departmental property in the Stores Register, instead of entering
     it by the article or the part of an article as invoiced, will be seriously
     noticed. An incoming Postmaster must check the property against
     the register entries, and furnish a certificate to his Chief Postmaster.

(b.) Superintendents, Postmasters, and branch controlling officers
are held responsible for the proper inspection of departmental pro-
perty under their care, and the reporting of any damage thereto.
An inspection must be made by branch controlling officers daily and
by Superintendents and Postmasters as opportunity offers, and
a thorough check inspection must be made once a week. Any
damage discovered must be immediately investigated, and a full
report made to the Secretary. An officer proved to have deliberately
disfigured or damaged departmental property will be dealt with
sharply.

(c.) The Department will not be responsible for any damage
sustained by an officer as the result of using departmental property
which needs repair.

(d.) Officers entrusted with the charge of official property of all
descriptions will be required to pay the full value of any articles
that may be lost, besides being liable to such further penalty as the
circumstances of the case may warrant.

(e.) Application should be made as required for authority to
write off articles.

(f.) In the matter of property which appears to be unservice-
able or to have been rendered obsolete as the result of invention
or any other cause, a survey of such property is to be
made by the principal officer and the officer second in authority,
and a certificate furnished as to its condition. On the receipt of
the report, the Secretary will determine what action is to be taken
as to the retention or disposal of the property and the manner in
which it is to be dealt with in the books of the Department.

131. Postmasters must personally make a return of the office
     property annually. At all permanent offices a balance of the articles
     at the time of the annual stock-taking is to be struck, and to be
     shown by entries in the Property Register. When there have been
     no transactions under a heading during the year, it is not neces-
     sary to carry down the balance; but the year date is to be entered
     to indicate that the keeping of the record has not been neglected.

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