PUBLIC RECORD OFFICE
Reference :-
mimic.O. 885
ALLY WITHOUT PERMISSION OF THE BE REPRODUCED PHOTOGRAPHIC-
COPYRIGHT PHOTOGRAPH—NOT TO
5PUBLIC RECORD OFFICE, LONDON
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In
Under Secretaries and the Assistant Under Secre- tary of State at 1507. each, all chosen from amongst the junior clerks. In 1870-1 an assistant private secretary to the Secretary of State at 150%. was added, to be chosen from the junior clerks, making a total of 9001. for private secretaries, but as part of the reorganisation which was commenced in 1872 the four private secretaryships at 150l. each were abolished and the duties were performed by second- class clerks without additional remuneration. 1881-2, however, 100l. was again placed on the estimates for an assistant private secretary to the Secretary of State and 2007. for two private secre- taries to the two Under Secretaries of State with the understanding that they should continue to be chosen from the second class clerks and should take part in the general work of the office. Until December 1882, except for a few months in 1858, the principal private secretary to the Secretary of State was not chosen from the office, but since December 1882 he has been selected from the clerks, which has had the effect of withdrawing one clerk from the general business of the office, although doubt- less an advantageous arrangement in other respects.
6. Before dealing with the remaining branches of Remaining the office, as shown in the Estimates, it will be con- classes. venient to pass briefly in review certain changes which have taken place, both in the office and in the public service at large, which underlie other changes which have occurred in the office.
a. In 1866-7 the charge for copying was 2,4001. Copying and At that time copying was performed partly by copyists. copyists permanently attached to the office and partly through the agency of law stationers. The law stationers charged 18. per hour for the loan of the services of one of their writers, or 1d. per folio of 72 words for work sent to them. The per- manent copyists were paid at the rate of 2d. per folio of 90 words. Some of them were employed during official hours in different departments of the office, not only or principally on copying, but also in keeping records, indexing, registering, &o., and were paid at the rate of 78. 6d. per diem of six hours. Permanent copyists who were employed out of office hours on work which could not be measured by the page were paid at a rate per hour calculated upon their average earning power at page copying. Per- manent copyists received after five years in addition to their earnings at time or piece work a fixed annual payment of 151., increasing by 101. quin- quenially up to 451. per annum. They were also entitled to pensions on the usual conditions as to cause of retirement, and calculated on their average gross annual receipts for the preceding three years.
b. There were also certain supplementary clerks, Assistant neither included in the "establishment," nor paid clerks. from the copying vote, but receiving a moderate fixed salary, o.g., the senior assistant clerk or book- keeper in the Accounts branch, the junior assistant clerk in the same branch, the two registry clerks, the assistant clerk in the Printing Department, the clerk in the Chief Clerk's Department, the clerk in the Library (compiler of indices), the Précis
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Writer's clerk, and the clerk to one of the Legal Assistant Under Secretaries, with salaries varying from 100% to 3501. Such of these clerks as were retained, with the exception of the first and last- named clerks, were, together with a few copyists who had been regularly employed on special duty, and were promated for meritorious service, finally arranged in two classes, under the designation of assistant clerks, viz., 3 first class clerks at 250l. to 3501., and 6 second class clerks at 100l. to 2001. per annum (Estimates 1876-7).
c. In 1871 the present body of Civil Service Civil Service writers was constituted, and the old class of copyists writers.
in this office has since become extinct, Civil Service writers are paid at the rate of 10d. per hour, or at the rate of 1d. per folio of 100 words. They are engaged by the week, and are not entitled to pension. Eight are employed at present. Nine were employed throughout 1885. They do not discharge the same duties as Lower Division clerks. During official hours they are restricted to copying, and are paid by the hour. One is for part of the day employed in the Printing Department as a reader of MS. to the clerk engaged in revising proofs. Out of official hours they are paid by the piece for copying, but one or two who have been offered employment on indexing as a means of adding to their earnings have been paid by the hour, there being no other means of paying them. They are given to understand, however, that they are under no obligation to accept work of the latter class.
d. In 1876 the body of Lower Division clerks was Lower Divi- created. These clerks receive the same rates of sion clerks. pay in whatever office they are employed, i.e., 801., increasing triennially by 15/. up to 2001. per annum,
or 951., increasing triennially by 151. up to 250l. per annum, according as they are employed for six or for seven hours per diem, with duty pay in either case not exceeding 100%. per annum to clerks employed on special duty. The Lower Division clerks in the Colonial Office have, at their own request, been con- verted from six-hour clerks into seven-hour clerks, a reduction being at the same time made in their number. They are for the most part employed on routine work, such as was formerly performed by copyists employed in departments and by some of the assistant clerks or their predecessors, e.g., registering, indexing, keeping of records, &c., but duty pay of 50l. per annum is assigned to each of four clerks charged with superintendence of other clerke in addition to their other duties or employed on other special duty.
e. The class of assistant clerks is in course of Clark for extinction, only one assistant clerk being now left, legal instru whose place, on his retirement or promotion, will mente and probably be filled by a Lower Division clerk with dents of
superinten. duty pay. The eight remaining assistant clerks, registry, together with the clerk to the Legal Assistant printing, Under Secretary, and, as will subsequently appear, copying.
library, and two more officers drawing respectively 800%. and 600% per annum, have been succeeded by the following five officers, assisted by some 10 or 11 Lower Division clerks, viz., (1) clerk for legal
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