PUBLIC RECORD OFFICE
co
Reference :-
885/26
ده محمد
14
and control over the organization and staffing of the Registry; and that he should be the office authority in matters of Registration and Registry procedure; the Paper Deposit and Records Revision Section should be placed under his charge. We further consider that, in view of the great increase of late years in work and staff, the status of the Staff post should be reconsidered.
Work of Registry.
14. We have taken into consideration the fact that certain duties have been assigned to the Registry in the Colonial Office which are not normally assigned to such branches in other departments of the public service; and we consider that it will be necessary to make arrangements for duties other than those connected with the registration and despatch of correspondence to be undertaken by experi- enced clerks. We are also of the opinion that additional supervision will be required in the Sub-Registries if arrangements cannot be made to centralize the work, and we have made what we consider the necessary provision in Appendix III.
Confidential Clerks.
15. To provide for the work to be taken from the Registry, we suggest the extension of the present system whereby "Confidential Clerks" are attached to the departments. At present, eight Second Division Clerks are in receipt of allowances while performing the duties of "Confidential Clerks "; we are of oipnion that it will be necessary to provide for at least eight additional Clerks, who, with the "Confidential Clerks," would be graded in the higher grade of the Clerical Class, and entrusted with the initial action on certain classes of correspondence, the ciphering and deciphering of telegrams, and with drafting and such other duties as may be delegated from the departments, in addition to the work taken from the Registries, which would include the noting of precedents and subjects, searches, preparation of précis, etc.
We have made provision for the additional staff which we consider will be required to provide for work taken from the Registries; but we are not in a posi- tion to estimate the numbers necessary to deal with work which may be devolved from the departments.
Promotion of Typists.
16. We are of opinion that recourse should be had to the special machinery recommended in paragraph 63 of the Joint Report, with a view to promoting Typists to the Clerical Class in the Colonial Office.
Accounts Department.
17. In view of the ruling that questions involving Imperial funds are to be referred at an early stage to the Accounts Department, we recommend that the numbers and grading of that department should be reconsidered at an early date Our recommendations are therefore provisional.
General Department.
18. We have suggested the provision of a separate staff to deal exclusively with matters relating to the establishment of the Colonial Office. We are agreed that the creation of a separate section for this purpose is necessary to afford some relief to the General Department. We are of the opinion that the scale of salary of the Staff post in the General Department should be improved. We consider that the work assigned to the clerk dealing with pensions and promotions is of such a nature as to justify the creation of a post on the same scale.
Library.
19. For convenience the Library may be dealt with in three sections: (a) Legal, (b) General, (c) Records and Paper Room.
·
(a) The work of the Legal Section (which is quite distinct from the general work of the Library) has increased both in volume and importance during the last few years. We consider that provision should be made for a Staff post on the scale £400-£15-£500.
(b) As regards the general work of the Library, it must be borne in mind that a long apprenticeship is required before an officer becomes fully efficient; and that as the staff is in constant contact with the outside public it is necessary that the personnel should be maintained at a high level. We recommend that in addition to the Assistant Librarian, who should be graded as "Higher Grade, Clerical Class," provision should be made for an officer of the same grade whose primary duty should be the cataloguing.
the
We to j
20. 1
in excess c
21. 1 should be the volum providing 1913, has: cent., whil 1913, at th only. To clerks on c and fifty & to paymen consider in attendance
an adequa attendance
22. 1
an adequa. may expec Colonial O
who may t
should be r Report for
23. V training of report.
24. V taries have the prepar
H. T. ALLE
H. W. TH01
B
8th M.
COPYRIGHT
PHOTOGRAPH-NOT TO
ALLY WITHOUT PERMISSION OF THE BE REPRODUCED PHOTOGRAPHIC-
PUBLIC
RECORD OFFICE, LONDON
13
sting Second Division Clerks should normally be assigned to the will be necessary to contemplate the transfer of a certain number ion Clerks, at present employed in the Colonial Office, to depart- ecutive Class is employed. We think it is clear from paragraphs leport of the Joint Committee that members of this class can in the department by appointment to the higher grade of the the posts referred to in the preceding paragraph. In view of lonial Office was staffed up to 1914 (immediately below the First y from the Second Division, we consider it is important that ed members of the class should, if possible, be retained in the at they should be offered opportunities of advancement at least 'ded to members of the Executive Class in other departments. re being recruited, this class will ultimately disappear.
Limits of Inquiry.
uring to arrive at an estimate of the total establishment ure, we have, following the example of the Joint Committee, th a maximum exceeding £500 a year as outside the scope of ve have limited our inquiry to the clerical and administrative › office.
I establishment of the office at the present time is shown in ppendix II. we have endeavoured to estimate the establishment d in future for work other than that assigned to the Admini- in Appendix III. the present and proposed staff in the different
8.
Administrative Posts.
er of Cadets required in the Colonial Office will be determined he higher administrative posts; and until this number is fixed press any opinion as to numbers to be recruited to the Cadet
er of posts which might be filled in the manner indicated in Joint Report. We recommend that steps be taken to determine rative establishment of the department at an early date, and are ying paragraphs 36, 47, 48, and 51 of the Report of the Joint Colonial Office, measures should be taken to provide in the osts of the kind contemplated in paragraph 51. We are of ng the settlement of the numbers of the Administrative Class, beginning should be made in this direction by considering.
a
ir in the establishment of temporary Junior Clerks, whether the it of establishment could not be best effected by appointments of ed in paragraph 51.
Registry.
ler that the Registry should in future be staffed with members de, but that this will involve taking away from the Sub-Regis- now discharged therein. We are of the opinion that a centrali- ries would result in economies in working, but we are informed ticable at the present time on account of the lack of suitable
Q.
We suggest that the possibility should be considered of opical African Registries by a rearrangement of the existing of reducing the number of Registries to two when suitable vailable; one for the "Dominions" and one for the "Colonies."
Revision of Records.
mend that steps be taken as soon as possible to provide for the 8, which was suspended during the War; and that the officer ty should also be entrusted with the custody of the older records, the necessary staff of Paper Keepers. In view of the fact that onger be available for sorting and handling papers, we consider Registries should be relieved of the custody of all but the more
Chief Registrar.
nend that the Chief Registrar should be relieved of the detailed I Registry and of the payment of weekly wages to the subordi-
> him to attend to his more important duties of supervision
I