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One can hardly wonder at the growing dullness, carelessness, and stupidity shown by the Clerks. I need hardly point out, that under the best conditions an eight hour's day of hard work, at this season of the year, is dispiriting; but, when the structure of the room in which this work has to be done, is taken into account:- it is surprising how they manage to work at all. This office is (roughly speaking) a long rectangular building with one of the long sides entirely closed, the windows of the other long side are of little or no use as they open on to the walls of the General Post Office; there is one window at the back and two in the front, but, no draught is caused by this arrangement owing to the internal structure of the building. The consequences of all this is a lack of light and a temperature that is better imagined than borne.
In conclusion I beg to state that it is practically impossible for me to carry on the work of this department as it should be carried on. An Assistant is urgently required and also an additional clerk. The Assistant, should if possible be a European from 20 to 30 years of age. The Salary Offered should be such as to render the position a responsible one. The work that could be allotted to him would be as follows: closing London Parcel Mail and dealing with parcels arriving from London and Germany; taking charge of Poste Restante registered covers and unclaimed parcels; writing up request book for use in this Department; portioning out the day's work (i.e. the closing of mails for Coast Ports etc.) and supervising the checking of registered letter bills. Nearly the whole of the above work is at present, very indifferently carried out, and to appoint one of the Ordinary officers to this work would simply mean that the work would be done as at present.