CO885-(11-12) — Page 334

PUBLIC

TUITIT

RECORD OFFICE

Reference

C.O.882/12

|| COPYRIGHT PHOTOGRAPH-NOT TO

BI

ALLY WITHOUT PERMISSION OF THE

REPRODUCED PHOTOGRAPHIC-

PUBLIC RECORD OFFICE, LONDON

>

24

(2) that nets used by fishermen elsewhere satisfy the requirements of the Fishery Ordinance regulating the size of their mesh. The staff consists of one Inspector and 13 boatmen. The latter are distributed round the coast at the various Fishery stations, and furnish reports of any contraventions of the Ordinance which come under their observation. These reports are dealt with by the Inspector who reports direct to the Receiver-General.

The suggestion has already been made that this branch should be transferred to the Department of Agriculture. We prefer to suggest that it should be entirely abolished, and its functions handed over to the Police who, as in the case of other Police duties dis- charged by the Receiver-General, already possess and exercise equal and similar powers. There is no fishing industry in the island on a scale to require the setting up of a special branch of the Department of Agriculture, and any new questions that arise and involve a change in the existing regulations could be dealt with as a matter of general policy by the Colonial Secretariat. As the fishing stations are few in number, and there are police stations at nearly all the fishing villages, no increase in the number of the Police would be necessary. The whole cost of the existing organiza- tion, amounting to Rs.13,635 per annum would therefore be saved. The changes which we propose in the Revenue, House Tax, and Fishery Branches should make it possible to save at least Rs.10,000 on bicycles, uniforms and travelling.

Accounts Branches of the Treasury.

16. The following branches of the Treasury remain to be considered :-

Accounts Branch,

Branch of the Financial Assistant to the Public Works Department,

Branch of the Financial Assistant to the Medical and Health Department,

Chief Examiners' Branch,

Cashier's Branch,

Offices of the District Cashiers,

Savings Bank,

Office of the Currency Commissioners, and

Correspondence Section.

It is unnecessary to enter upon the same detailed description of these sections of the Department. The Accounts Branch which is under the control of the Head Accountant is engaged in the ordinary work of departmental book-keeping and we saw no reason for suggesting any changes in its methods or organization. The outpost branch of the Treasury which is located in the office of the Public Works Department is dealt with in our chapter on that department, and we suggest that it should be transferred to the

25

In the case of the control of the Director of Public Works. Treasury outpost in the Medical Department the arrangement has worked more satisfactorily in practice, but we can see no reason why the normal arrangement under which the Accountant is responsible to the Head of the Department should not work equally well.

ment.

The Chief Examiners' Branch checks all public expenditure to ensure that it has been duly authorized, keeps the Vote Accounts of all Departments of Government except the Public Works Depart- ment and the Medical Department where the Vote Accounts are in the charge of the Financial Assistant, and maintains the com- plete Establishment records of all Government staffs, except those of the staff of the Medical Department, which are kept by the Financial Assistant. Our only modification of this arrangement is to propose that the centralization of the Establishment work might be carried a step further by having the monthly salary sheets for all Government departments compiled in this branch of the Treasury and passed from there to the Cashier's Branch for pay- Under the present arrangerment the salary sheets of the other departments are prepared by a Financial clerk in each of those departments and after payment are sent to the Treasury, where they are checked in detail to the extent of 100 per cent. against the Treasury records and the departmental estimates. By throwing the work of compilation and payment upon the Treasury a saving of one clerk each in the other larger departments might be effected, which after allowing for an increase of two clerks in the staff of the Treasury itself would yield a net saving of five or six clerks for the whole service. The total staff of the Mauritius public service is much less than that of many of the London departments, having numerous sub-offices throughout the country, which experience no difficulty in dealing with the whole of their Establishments expenditure through a central machine. saving will be available for strengthening the staff of the Post Office, if this is found to be necessary.

Savings Bank.

The

In the section of our report dealing with the Posts and Telegraphs Department, we have suggested that the control and local adminis- tration of the Government Savings Bank might be transferred to that department. The charge would involve no increase in the staff of the Post Office beyond the transfer thereto of the staff employed in the Savings Bank Section of the Treasury Head Office, and would facilitate the reduction in the number of District Cashiers' offices, while at the same time making the services of the Savings Bank more accessible to depositors.

257

!