69. Any officer in a Territory has the right to address the Secretary of State, if he thinks proper; in which case he must transmit such communication, unsealed and in triplicate, to the Governor, requesting him to forward it in due course to the Secretary of State. Every letter, memorial or other document which may be received by the Secretary of State from a Territory otherwise than through the Governor will be referred back to the Governor for his report or returned to the writer. The rule requiring transmission of communications to the Secretary of State through the Governor is based on the strongest grounds of public convenience, in order that all communications may be duly verified, as well as reported on, before they reach the Secretary of State. It extends, therefore, to communications relating to public affairs as well as to the concerns of the writer.
70. Petitions addressed to The Queen or The Queen in Council and memorials to officers or to departments of Her Majesty's Government in the United Kingdom must be in like manner sent to the Governor for transmission to the Secretary of State.
71. The Governor shall transmit to the Secretary of State with all reason- able despatch every communication received by him in accordance with Regulations 69 and 70 accompanied by such report as its contents may appear to him to require.
F. Passages
72. (a) A person not already in the public service who is selected for appointment to a public office shall receive a free passage to the Territory, and he shall sign an agreement to refund the cost of the passage in certain contingencies.
(b) The question whether free or assisted passages to the Territory may be provided for an officer's wife and family on the occasion of his appoint- ment, and the question of passage assistance when he proceeds on leave, shall be governed by local regulations made with the approval of the Secretary of State.
G. Leave
73. The leave of absence of officers shall be governed by rules of local application as directed by the Secretary of State.
74. The Governor shall report to the Secretary of State each case in which leave of absence from the Territory has been granted. If any part of the leave is to be spent in Europe he shall transmit a leave certificate in the approved form. The officer proceeding on leave shall be furnished with a duplicate of the certificate to enable him to draw his salary. A third copy of the certificate shall be sent direct to the Crown Agents for Oversea Governments and Administrations, whether his salary is to be paid by the Crown Agents or not.
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