REVENUE DEPARTMENTS, AND POST OFFICE PACKET AND TELEGRAPH SERVICES. VOTE 3.-POST OFFICE-continued. Explanation of the Causes of Variation between Expenditure and Grant. S. Due to a further falling off of correspondence conveyed by the Southampton-Colon route. 9. Due to the retirement during the year of two regular officers, replaced by temporary officers with lower allowances. 10. A fluctuating item. Cannot be accurately estimated Certain additional expenditure was authorised by the Treasury. POSTAL SERVICES: REVENUE DEPARTMENTS AND POST OFFICE PACKET AND TELEGRAPH SERVICES, Amount Estimated. Amount Received. NATURE OF RECEIPT. Explanation of the Causes of Variation between Estimates and Receipts. £. s. d. £. 8. d. The "gain by conversion" of Foreign Money Orders (1,683. s. 1d.), which is accounted for under this Sub-Head, was larger than was anticipated. 1,704 5 7 Cannot be accurately estimated. Postage of Savings Bank Department 70,000 73,334 6 7 See explanation under Sub-Head E. 10 of this Vote. Contribution by the White Star Line towards the cost of accelerating the Mail Service from Dublin to Queenstown on Thursdays 1,000 1,000 Contribution by the Cunard Line towards cost of earlier transmission of Outward American Mails on Saturdays Additional premises were sub-let on sites acquired after the Estimate was framed. Cannot be accurately estimated. There were large amounts received for old Post Office premises. COMMON SERVICES: Rent of Post Office Premises sub-let Miscellaneous Receipts 11,560 13,381 18 11 17,000 27,098 8 7 207,130 Deduct-Share of receipts common to Postal and Telegraph Services transferred to Sub-Head I of the Estimate for the Post Office Telegraph (24 per cent. of Common Services) In addition, the sums of 2,4317. 18. 10d., the final balance of the Parcel Post Irregularities Fine Fund, and 15,043 3s. 84d., the final balance of the Registered Letter Irregularities Fine Fund, were paid into the Exchequer in the year as Extra Receipts. REVENUE DEPARTMENTS, AND POST OFFICE PACKET AND TELEGRAPH SERVICES. Vote. 34 4 A Second Class Clerk, Secretary's Office For acting as Secretary to a Depart- An Examiner, Accountant General's For acting as Secretary to an Inter- 22 16 Departmental Committee on The Surplus of 51,455l. 11s. 8d., shown on the Account of Vote III. "Post Office," for the year ended 31st March, 1905, has been surrendered. L. Maclean, Principal Bookkeeper. General Post Office, 30 November 1906. Charles A. King, Comptroller and Accountant General, I certify that this Account has been examined by officers under my directions, in accordance with the 29th Section of the Act 29 & 30 Vict. Cap. 39, including a test audit as directed by Treasury Minute of the 27th March, 1899, and that the Account is correct. Examined, W. M. Martin, John A. Kempe, Comptroller and Auditor General. REVENUE DEPARTMENTS, AND POST OFFICE PACKET AND TELEGRAPH SERVICES. VOTE 3. POST OFFICE. REPORT OF THE COMPTROLLER AND AUDITOR GENERAL. 1. EXPENDITURE in excess of the Estimate has taken place under the following Excess. Sub-Heads, viz:— A. 1, 2, 4, 8, 16.-Chief Offices. B. 1, 2. Circulation Office (London). C. 1, 3, 5, 6.-Provincial Establishments. E. 1, 2, 5, 10, 14, 16, 18.-Post Office Savings Banks. G. 3, 6.-Conveyance of Mails. Salaries from 1905-6. year 1906-7 to year 2. With regard to the Explanations under Sub-Heads A, 1, 2, 3 and 4, B. 1 and E. 1. Transfer of I may state that salaries for the month of March, 1906, payable under Warrants dated 1st April, and provided for in the Estimates for the year 1906-7, were actually paid on Saturday 31st March. As the result of a communication from my Department pointing out that in the circumstances these salaries appeared to be properly chargeable to the year 1905-6, a total sum of 70,9061. 28. 3d., charged in the first instance against the Post Office Vote for the year 1906-7, has been transferred to the year 1905-6 now under review. The Treasury, to whom the matter was referred, have further assented to a proposal by the Postmaster-General that in future, in conformity with the practice in other Government Departments, Head Quarter Salaries in the Post Office should be paid on the last day of the period to which the payments relate. 3. Sub-Head E. 18, Losses by Default, etc. (Post Office Savings Banks). The expendi- Defalcations ture of 1,8521. 138. 3d. recorded under this Sub-Head includes amounts of 3091. 10s. 1d. and at Newport (Tipperary) 3921. 188. 10d., being the net loss to Savings Bank Funds from defalcations, in connection and Mitchelswith the accounts of certain illiterate depositors, by the late Sub-Postmistresses of town. Newport (County Tipperary) and Mitchelstown respectively, who were both sentenced to twelve months imprisonment with hard labour. It also includes an amount of 1857. 198., Fraudulent fraudulently withdrawn from a Savings Bank account at Bristol, the offender in this withdrawal of Deposits instance being sentenced to three years penal servitude. In each case the loss has been at Bristol. charged to the Vote with Treasury sanction. between the Western 4. Sub-Head H, Purchase of Sites, etc. The Excess of 23,014/. 18s. 1d. under this Exchange Sub-Head is in part attributable to the fact that it was found impossible to carry out, in of properties the manner intended, an Agreement entered into with the Great Western Railway p Company for an exchange of properties at Paddington. By the terms of this Agreement Department the Postmaster-General was to pay to the Company a net sum of 12,2977. " as estimated and the Great by the Board of Works for equality of exchange," which net sum was included in the Railway Estimates for the year 1905-6. In March, 1906, a payment of 24,224. 148. 11d. was Company. made to the Company, and in reply to a Query I was informed that the Department had already taken possession of the Company's property dealt with in the Agreement, but would be unable to surrender the property belonging to it until the extension of the Sorting Office, now being carried out, had been completed, or had made considerable progress. In these circumstances the gross amount due to the Company, with interest in respect of deferred purchase, was paid, and a sum of 11,6627. will be receivable from the Company upon the transfer of the property of the Department, which, under the Agreement, should be effected by 31st December, 1907. 5. In addition to the sum of 217,824. 178. 10d. realised as Appropriations in Aid of Extra the Vote, sums of 2,431 1s. 10. and 15,0437. 3s. 8d., representing the final balances Receipts. of the Parcel Post Irregularities Fine Fund and the Registered Letters Irregularities Fine Fund respectively, have been paid direct into the Exchequer. 6. The Amount to be Surrendered is, as shown by the Account, 103,953l. 2s. 6d. Surplus. 7. A test examination of Postal Store Accounts has been carried out, with generally Examination satisfactory results, in London, Edinburgh and Dublin. REVENUE. of Store Accounts. 8. The Account of Postal Revenue has been subjected to a test examination at the Examination Chief Offices in London, Edinburgh and Dublin. The results have proved generally of Revenue satisfactory, and the Treasury and the Post Office have been so informed. John A. Kempe, Account. Comptroller and Auditor General. |