CO885-5 — Page 183

PUBLIC RECORD

OFFICE

Reference :-

wwiimic.O. 885

5 PUBLIC RECORD OFFICE, LONDON

ALLY WITHOUT PERMISSION OF THE BE REPRODUCED PHOTOGRAPHIC- COPYRIGHT PHOTOGRAPH-NOT TO

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A large proportion of these telegrams are sent in oypher or code, and a corresponding proportion of telegrams received have to be decyphered or decodedi. This in the aggregate has added considerably to the confidential mechanical work of the office Since 1866-7 an Accounts branch has been established in the Colonial Office in common with other offices in pursuance of the Exchequer and Audit Act of 1866. In 1866-7, 1871-2, and 1876-7 the Emigration Office Estimates amounted to 6,0311, 5,2731., and 4,617. respectively. Before the end of the next quinquennial period that office was abolished, and the remaining business of the Emigration Commis- sioners was undertaken partly by the Colonial Office and partly by the Crown Agents for the Colonies, with the result of an addition to the Colonial Office Estimates of from, in round numbers, 8001. to 1,2001. per annum. It is believed that these con. siderations will be found of themselves sufficient to explain the difference between 1866-7 and 1886-7.

3. In 1866-7 the Secretariat comprised the Secretarist. Secretary of State, Parliamentary Under Secretary of State, Permanent Under Secretary of State, and one Assistant Under Secretary of State. Since that date two Assistant Under Secretaries of State have been added with an especial view to legal business, but also charged with an important share of general business. Prior to 1860 the business of revising Colonial Legislation devolved upon one of the two Emigration Commissioners, Sir Frederic Rogers, now Lord Blachford, who, after his appointment as Permanent Under Secretary of State in 1860, con- tinued to discharge that duty in addition to other legal and general business for six years till, the work proving more than he could any longer carry on without assistance, a legal adviser was appointed in 1866, after the estimates for 1866-7 were framed. Before 1871-2 the post of legal adviser was con- verted into that of Assistant Under Secretary charged with legal business and with a share of general business. In 1874 an additional Assistant Under Secretary was appointed on the same footing. The present permanent secretariat may be con- sidered as representing not only the permanent Under Secretary and the Assistant Under Secretary of old, but also the Emigration Commissioner charged with the legal business of the Colonial Office, and to a certain degree the Emigration Com- missioners in relation to their more distinctive duties, besides the great accession of business adverted to in the preceding portion of this memorandum.

4. The Class I. clerks are the successors of the Clerks of "established" clerks, so called, it is presumed, because geographical. in common with the Secretariat and a few other divisions. members of the office, their number, classification or titles, and emoluments, were regulated from time to time by Order in Council, which practice was discon- tinued in 1872. In 1866-7, there appear to have been 25 established clerks, excluding the clerk for Par- liamentary Papers, viz., 1 Chief Clerk at 1,000%, to 12501. per annum,

5 senior clerks at 7001. to 1,000%. each, 6 assistant senior clerks at 350l. to 6001.,

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6 junior clerks at 1601. to 3001., and 7 assistant junior clerks at 100l. to 150l., representing a minimum expen liture of 8,2601., and a maximum of 12,7007. With from time to time some slight alterations in respect of numbers and some slight differences in respect of initial and final salary, this had then been the clerical establishment, so called, for upwards of 30 years. To this part of the "Esta- blishment" may be added the office of Précis Writer at 1,000l. per annum, bringing the mini- mum and maximum up to 9,2607. and 13,700, respectively. Between 1866-7 and 1871-2 one senior clerkship lapsed and the Précis Writership was abolished, and in the latter year the two classes of 6 junior clerks and 7 assistant junior clerks, were fused into one class of 13 clerks at 1007. to 3001, reducing the minimum expenditure to 7,2001, and the maximum to 12,750. Between 1871-2 and 1876 7, steps were taken which would have had the effect, and from 1876 to 1878 did have the effect, saving the right of the then Chief Clerk to a maximum salary of 1,250, of reducing the number of these clerks from 26 to 18, classified and paid as follows, viz., four principal clerks (one of them Chief Clerk) at 9007. to 1,000l., five first class clerks at 701, to 800l., and nine second class clerks at 250l. to 6007. each, raising the minimum expenditure on this branch of the office to 9,350l. and the maximum to 13,400. In 1878, however, one second class clerk was added in consequence of increase of business, and in 1881-2, after the accession of Cyprus business and a further increase in general business which has been main- tained up to the present time, one first class clerk and one second class clerk were added, bringing up the charge for this branch of the office to a mini- mum of 10,550l. and a maximum of 15,4001. A similar reorganisation took place amongst the Treasury clerks about the same time (but in their case with considerably higher rates of salary) and has since been carried out in some other public departments.

These clerks deal with the political, financial, administrative, and other business, arising in the four geographical divisions of the office viz., North American and Australian, African and Mediter- ranean, West Indian, and Eastern. They are autho- rised to dispose at once of minor business to a limited extent. As regards remaining business, their duties are to submit for consideration, as far as they are able to do so, the course to be taken on the various questions arising, or to present the subject matter in a shape to facilitate the forming of a decision, to draft letters and despatches, carry- ing out the decisions arrived at, to prepare précis and memoranda on important questions, and to see to the despatch of letters and mails. They have also from time to time been employed on important missions abroad.

5. In 1866-7 there was one private secretary to Private the Secretary of State at 800l. per annum who secretaries. might or might not be selected from the clerks, and there were three private secretaries to the two

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