RECORD OFFICE
بيلسان
Reference -
C.O.882/12
PUBLIC RECORD OFFICE, LONDON;
ALLY WITHOUT PERMISSION OF THE BE REPRODUCED PHOTOGRAPHIC-
COPYRIGHT PHOTOGRAPH-NOT TO
130
Parties to the Agreement. It is considered desirable that the Agreement should be signed in the first instance by the Straits Settlements and Federated Malay States Governments, and that the Governments of the Unfederated Malay States should be left to join the Union as they become inclined to do so. It is anticipated that after this Agreement has been signed Their Highnesses the Rulers of the Federated Malay States will ask by letter that the postal department of the Federated Malay States should continue to be run financially as a federal or joint service within the Federation, and this should certainly be agreed to. Such an arrangement would of course be in no way incompatible with the issue of State postage stamps, which Their Highnesses strongly desire, under the superscription of Malaya, as indicated in paragraphs 10 and I of my despatch No. 766 of the 17th December, 1931.*
Nature of the Board.-It is agreed that the idea of an Executive Board should be dropped, that executive powers should be given to the Director-General, and that the powers of the Board should be advisory only. In this manner the status and powers of the Railway and Postal Boards will be approximately the same, and it is considered that the arrangement will prove to be satisfactory.
Representation of the Unfederated Malay States. It is submitted that the objec- tion that the representation of the Unfederated Malay States would be out of proportion to the volume of their postal business and revenue is not of serious importance in the case of an Advisory Board such as that contemplated in this Agreement. The Board proposed corresponds closely to the Post Office Advisory Council referred to in para- graph 126 of the Bridgeman Report (Committee of Inquiry on the Post Office, 1932)- a copy of which marked "B" is attached to facilitate reference. It is considered that a Board such as that proposed for Malaya would serve not only as a connecting link between the Post Office and the public but also as an essential link between the administrations comprising the Malayan Postal Union, and would strengthen the hand of the Director-General.
Powers of the Director-General.-Paragraphs 14 and 15 of the Agreement have been modified to define and limit the powers of the Director-General so far as the control of staff is concerned, while the position of the Director-General with regard to the control and revenue and expenditure has been more clearly stated in para- graph 7. It is intended that, after the administrations concerned have made provision for the needs of the department, the Director-General shall be directly responsible for all departmental accounts. Such an arrangement appears to be the minimum necessary for adequate control.
5. I attach a short memorandum containing comments by the Secretary for Postal Affairs on the points raised in the Postmaster-General's letter, and I agree that the advantages to be derived from union will outweigh the financial loss on postal transit charges. In any case I am given to understand that except on the basis of the complete independence of each postal administration it is difficult to justify the continuation of the present arrangements.
I have, &c.,
Enclosure 1 in No. 48.
16
A."
C. CLEMENTI,
High Commissioner.
An Agreement for the Constitution of a POSTAL UNION to Consist of THE COLONY OF THE STRAITS SETTLEMENTS, THE FEDERATED MALAY STATES OF PERAK, SELANGOR, Negri Sembilan, and Pahang, and such Malay States under British Protection as may at any TIME APPLY FOR Membership of such Postal Union.
WHEREAS the signatories to this Agreement and each of the other Malay States
now adhere severally and individually to the Universal Postal Union;
And whereas it is desired to constitute a single postal area to be styled "Malaya and to consist of the territories of the signatories hereto and of such Malay States under British protection as may subsequently adhere to this Agreement, which shall adhere to the Universal Postal Union by such name and style of Malaya;
It is hereby agreed between the Governor of the Straits Settlements, for and on behalf of His Britannic Majesty in His Government of that Colony, and the Rulers of
* No. 45.
131
the Federated Malay States of Perak, Selangor, Negri Sembilan, and Pahang, each in respect of the State whereof he is Ruler, as follows:-
1. In this Agreement unless the context otherwise requires :-
2.
"Posta!
"
includes mails, air-mails, savings bank and all allied services, telegraphs, telephones, wireless, and broadcasting.
Board
25
means the Board constituted under this Agreement High Commissioner means the Officer performing the duties of Governor of the Straits Settlements and High Commissioner for the Malay States. Administration "
means the Government of the Colony and the Govern- ment of each State signing or subsequently adhering to this Agreement. "Senior Staff "
means all postal officers of and above the rank of Super- intendent and includes all European Officers.
The territories of the Colony of the Straits Settlements and of the Federated Malay States shall form one single postal area to be styled Malaya, which shall adhere by that style to the Universal Postal Union.
3. The postal departments of the Administrations shall be placed under the con- trol of an officer to be styled Director-General of Posts and Telegraphs, Malaya, here- inafter referred to as the Director-General, who shall be assisted by a Board in the manner bereinafter provided.
4. There shall be constituted a Board to be styled the Malayan Postal Board, which shall consist of the Chairman, of one representative of each Administration, and of two official and two unofficial members to be appointed by the High Commissioner. 5. The Chairman of the Board shall be styled Director-General of Posts and Telegraphs, Malaya. The substantive holder of the post shall be appointed by the Secretary of State for the Colonies on the recommendation of the High Commissioner. 6. Each Administration, including each State of the Federated Malay States, reserves the right to its own distinctive issue of stamps provided that the word Malaya shall appear in Roman characters on all stamps issued for postal purposes. The stamps issued by each Administration shall be interchangeable for postal purposes.
7. Each Administration shall delegate and entrust to the Director-General the direction of the Postal Department in its territory including the control of all postal revenue and expenditure subject to such limitations as are set out in this Agreemnt.
8. The Postal Department of each Administration shall prepare the annual esti- mates of postal revenue and expenditure, including any supplementary estimates which may be found necessary. Such estimates shall be approved by the Director-General before being submitted to the Government of the Administration concerned, provided that all schemes relating to services involving joint expenditure by more than one Administration shall be submitted to the Board for consideration and advice.
9. The Postal Department of each Administration shall collect the postal revenue and disburse the postal expenditure in accordance with the estimates passed by the Government concerned, provided that the provision for expenditure may in any case be re-allocated by the Director-General within the total of each authorized subdivision or head of expenditure. The Director-General shall inform the Administration of any such re-allocation.
10. The estimates of expenditure of the Headquarters Organization shall be laid before the Board and submitted with the recommendations of the Board to the High Commissioner for his approval.
11. Each Administration undertakes to contribute to the cost of the Headquarters Organization of the Board in proportion to its postal revenue.
12. The Departmental duties and responsibilities of the Senior Staff in each Administration and at Headquarters shall be defined by the Director-General.
13. All postal officers shall be subject to the general or standing orders of the Administration in which they are serving.
14. (i) Appointments, promotions, and changes in the postal staff other than the Senior Staff shall remain under the control of each Administration subject to the follow- ing provisions
(ii) The Director-General shall control the numbers of the monthly paid staff in each grade working in each Administration.
(iii) The Director-General shall have power to transfer officers from one Adminis- tration to another subject to the approval of the Administrations concerned.
15. (i) Changes and transfers in the Senior Staff shall be dealt with by the Director-General after reference to each Administration concerned.
(ii) Recommendations for appointments and promotions in the Senior Staff shall be submitted by the Director-General to the High Commissioner.
525
}
Į
No comments yet.
Private notes are available after approval.