258
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FEEBLIC
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Reference -
C.O.882/19
ט
26
District Cashiers' Offices.
17. The District Cashiers' offices are seven in number and are stationed at the following places, viz.,
Mapou (half-time at Black River), Souillac,
Moka,
Mahebourg,
Flacq,
Curepipe, and
Rose Hill.
The Cashiers' Branch of the Treasury acts as District Cashier for Port Louis, and for the district of Pamplemousses. The duties of the District Cashiers are,
of
(1) to receive public moneys due in respect of
(a) taxes, i.e., house tax and the taxes on animals and vehicles,
(b) licences,
(c) Court fees, hospital fees, etc., and
(d) Savings Bank deposits.
(2) to make payments on behalf of the Treasury in respect
(a) pensions to pensioners residing in districts in which offices are situate,
(b) ushers' fees, etc., and
(c) Savings Bank withdrawals.
Each District Cashier keeps a reserve balance fixed in the case of five offices at a maximum of Rs.6,000, and in the case of the other two offices at a maximum of Rs.4.000. He accounts periodically to the Treasury and remits any surplus money in hand so as not to exceed his reserve. The offices are situated in or near the same building as the District Court offices, and there is a certain adjustment of duties between the two staffs, enabling the District Cashiers to act when necessary as Civil Status Officers for the record of births, deaths, and marriages and the magistrates' clerks to receive payments of "court fees," which, of course, are subsequently paid over by them to the District Cashier. The District Cashier at Curepipe is assisted by an Assistant District Cashier who is a clerk in the General Clerical Establish- ment, and by one other clerk. A clerk is attached to the Cashier of Rose Hill but is stationed at a sub-office in Beau Bassin. There is also a full-time clerk at Mahebourg and Flacq, but in both cases their salaries are paid by the District Boards from water-rate revenues collected by the Cashier and paid over to the Boards. A similar arrangement obtains in the case of the clerk at Curepipe, whose salary is charged against the Government contributions to the Board of Commissioners in respect of licences and taxes on vehicles and animals paid by residents within the township.
27
We have made a careful examination of the work of the Dis- trict Cashiers, and have personally inspected two of the offices. As a result, we are satisfied that even with their present duties Their work will be greatly the staffs are not fully employed. reduced under the proposals which we have made for the abolition of water-rates and nightsoil fees, the exemption from house tax of the smaller properties which make up a large proportion of the total number of assessments, and the transfer of the Savings Bank to the Post Office. With this reduction of work we consider that it should be possible to reduce not only the staffs employed but also the number of whole-time Cashiers' offices. The office at Moka could be closed entirely, as we have also proposed with regard to the Magistrates' Court in the district. Following upon our further proposal for the reduction of the Mahebourg and Souillac Courts to a part-time basis, we consider that it will be sufficient to maintain a part-time service for the District Cashier's office which should be open at each place on the same days of the week or the District Court. A single whole-time clerk should be sufficient for the combined service. The office at Flacq could also be run as a part-time service from Curepipe with the existing staff at the latter office, and the joint service for Rose Hill and Beau Bassin could be carried out at one office only by a single whole-time clerk. The total reduction of staff would be three District Cashiers and three Clerks, representing a saving of approxi- mately Rs.15,000. There would also be saving of the whole cost, besides that of staff, of maintaining a separate office at Moka, and a reduction in the maintenance costs of the offices placed on a part-time basis.
Customs.
18. The Collector of Customs is also Harbour Master and in that capacity is Head of the Port and Marine Departments, but the two departments are otherwise entirely separate. The Deputy Collector of Customs and other members of the Customs staff have no duties or responsibilities in connexion with Port and Marine. The Customs Department also administers the tobacco excise. which, with the recent substantial increase in the rate of duty, will in future hold a foremost place in the revenue resources of the Colony. This branch of the department is the special charge of the Deputy Collector of Customs who is also Excise Commissioner.
The departmental estimates do not accurately represent the actual position as regards the staff engaged in the excise service which is shown as comprising only two officers, viz., the Com- missioner with his allowance of Rs.2,000 per annum and an In- spector at a salary of Rs.2,310. There should also be added three members of the Second Class Preventive Staff. who receive an allowance of Rs.32 per month charged to Item 32 of the Estimates as Clerical Assistance. The Excise Inspector holds the substantive
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