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PUBLIC RECORD OFFICE

། ?། ། ། ། །

Reference :-

C.O. 882

PUBLIC RECORD OFFICE, LONDON

ALLY WITHOUT PERMISSION OF THE BE REPRODUCED PHOTOGRAPHIC-

COPYRIGHT PHOTOGRAPH-NOT TO

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Statement showing the Duties which the Officers and Clerks in the Ordnance

Storekeeper's Office ordinarily perform.

CASH DEPARTMENT.

THE duties of this office, in which distinct accounts current are prepared in duplicate, and rendered quarterly for Ordnance and Barrack Services, also for the Corps of Royal Artillery, Royal Engineers, and Royal Sappers and Miners, in triplicate, (an account being likewise kept by the Commissariat,) may in some measure be deduced from the following detail, which, however long, must necessarily omit many occurrences and labours.

1st. The Ordnance account, which, for the quarter ending 31st of March last, is composed of 125 vouchers in duplicate, each being, in many cases, accom- panied by copies of voluminous correspondence, orders, &c., required to support and explain the nature of the charges, and to afford other information relating thereto, (called for by the Honorable the Surveyor-General and the Honorable the Clerk of the Ordnance, in whose offices the accounts are audited,) com- prises the payment of all the salaries and allowances to the civil officers of the Ordnance and Royal Engineer Departments, wages to foremen, artificers, mili- tary (artillery,) working parties, coolies, labourers, watchmen, &c. &c., of the Storekeeper's, Engineer's, Artillery, and Firemaster's Departments; also the arrangements by advertisement, calculations, copying and preparing schedules of tenders, making agreements for the purchase of stores and execution of Ordnance services, as well as for the sale of stores, &c., to the troops and departments, and to the public by competition or otherwise; the examination and payment of all the contractors' bills, pay lists, and other vouchers of the Royal Engineer Department, for purchases of stores required for all Ordnance services; also, the weekly payment of Royal Sappers and Miners employed in the super- intendence of works, &c., and the miscellaneous disbursements of these depart- ments, which are each reported for the Master-General and Board's information, being accompanied by the correspondence before mentioned. Separate returns also are connected with this account, under the heads of Income Tax, Super- annuation Fund, Medical Stoppages, Messing, &c., all of which are made out in this office and rendered quarterly, after they have been duly registered in the office. To this detail must be added the correspondence, local and departmental, consequent upon the performance of these services, which, being for the most part explanatory, is of great length, and requires much time in its execution.

2nd. The Barrack account for the same period, consisting of 108 vouchers, includes all payments on account of purchase and repair of the furniture and fixtures of the several barracks, officers' quarters, hired buildings, &c., washing and repairing the bedding of the troops and hospitals, hire of buildings, lighting lamps, sweeping chimneys, and other miscellaneous and contingent expenses of that department, monthly stoppages for quarters, &c., all of which require sepa rate vouchers, certificates, &c.; also the payment of the Barrack-Master, Barrack Sergeants, and others employed under his direction, together with the expenses of the Royal Engineer Department connected with this branch of the service, viz. purchase of stores for the construction of barracks, works, and buildings at Victoria, Stanley, and Saiwan, as well as for their repair; these latter being made up of a large number of small accounts, (one bill now in band con- sisting of ten closely written sheets of foolscap,) occupy much time in their examination. Also must be appended the correspondence, reports, &c., arising out of these duties, with returns of different services rendered in addition to those forming part of this account and before enumerated.

3rd. The Royal Artillery account current:-In this account will be found the pay and allowances of the officers, the pay and subsistance of the men, together with the minute and multifarious affairs of soldiers, such as remittances, forfeitures, &c., occupying much time, and involving particular attention.

4th. Also the account current of the Royal Sappers and Miners, which are of a similar nature to those of the Royal Artillery,

5th. As well as the account current of the officers of the corps of Royal Engineers, all of those three accounts are prepared in triplicate by the storekeeper, who acts in those last three duties as Paymaster of the Ordnance Military Corps. 6th. The Commissariat account of moneys received from and paid to them: -This account is attended with much labour, the Treasury requiring from us documents similar to those furnished for the Ordnance offices at home.

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In addition to the foregoing are various periodical returns distinct from the accounts, and which it is perhaps unnecessary to enumerate, and the keeping up of all the cash, draft, and other official books, cash-ledger, &c.

STORE ACCOUNT DEPARTMENT.

The routine of duties performed in this office consists principally in the superintendence of the receipt and issues of ammunition, stores, bedding, clothing, &c., from England and Ceylon, from and to the Royal Artillery, Royal Engineers, Her Majesty's troops, the Barrack and Quartermaster-General's Department, the Colonial Government, Her Majesty's and the Honorable East India Company's vessels of war, Police, &c., all the stores for whom are con- signed to, and pass through, the books of the Ordnance Storekeeper, and the inspection of which, first iu receipt and ultimately in issue, demands much of the time that may be supposed to be devoted to the desk, and often renders the prepa ration of vouchers and documents thereby required, a work of extra hours and great exertion, from (in many cases), the hurried departure, of the ships, and the number of vouchers required being four to support each naval issue or receipt, (no less than forty-three of which took place during the last two months,) and three for all other departments of the service; these are again to be entered in receipt and issue books, and, lastly, posted in the station ledger; when it is stated that there are nearly 4,000 heads of articles therein, most of which are kept distinctly under the denominations of serviceable, repairable, and unservice- able, a great number of which having, within the last few weeks, been handed over by the Engineer Department, and not being on the Storekeeper's ledger before, have much increased his labour and responsibility, as every trifling article used by that department is issued by him as required. It may also be noted, that no less than seventeen vessels have arrived with ammunition and stores from England and Ceylon during the last eighteen months, another being daily expected. Receiving, examining, and comparing these stores with the bills of lading, occupies much time. The demands for stores for the Artillery, Navy, Barrack, Storekeeper, Quartermaster-General's, Commissariat, Department, &c., are all incorporated in one in this office, entered, and forwarded home.

In addition to the foregoing, many periodical returns are required to be made and registered in the office, some of great length, and many other duties that are not easily enumerated.

The details of the two branches into which the Ordnance duties are thus far divided, by no means comprise the entire thereof, many and arduous services being performed by the Storekeeper and Deputy-Storekeeper, independent of sharing the foregoing, and the general superintendence of the department and its duties; some of these are giving directions and countersigning memorandums connected with the receipt and issues of all stores, &c., the final examination of all accounts and documents, drafting letters and preparing correspondence, minutes of the respective officers, preparing the estimates for all pay, allow- ances, &c., all requisitions for repairs to barracks and public buildings are sent to this office in duplicate,-1st. For examination and direction to prepare estimates, -2nd, For execution, and,—3dly. For half-yearly returns and reports. So far from apy reduction being possible in the Ordnance Storekeeper's Office, be has been obliged lately to apply for, and obtain the authority of the respective officers, to employ two extra temporary clerks; and, in further, proof of the duties being excessive, the hours of attendance have been extended for some months past considerably beyond the usual office-bours, besides being at the storehouses frequently earlier than the regulated time.

Such are the various occupations of the Storekeeper's Department, that the clerks from one branch are constantly called off to assist in that of another; this is very desirable, and indeed necessary, as in the event of one being ill another is enabled to perform his duty, or at least to some extent. impracticable to give a "Table, showing the duties which each individual's required to perform."

Office of Ordnance, Hong Kong,

April 19, 1849.

(Signed)

Hence it 19

HENRY ST. HILL

Ordnance Storekeeper.

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