CO129-264 - Governor Sir Robinson & Public Offices - 1894 [9-12] — Page 501

so the steamer was

"Verona was half an hour late in leaving the office and that

delayed in sailing for half an hour, & beg most respectfully to state

that on that occasion I wa

the senior officer in charge of the Post Office, that as such I had to attend to arrivals, open mail bags, distribute work among my juniors and take a part so far as possible, in the actical work of preparing and closing the outgoing mail, that

Dr Silva and Mr Allen were.

on

absent from duty; that the Post Office staff is barely suf- ficient at any time for the~ work imposed

on it and that the absence of two efficient members makes a very great difference in the

performance

of the work I beg further to

point

496

point out that there were three separate mails to be made up by that steamer, for Nagasaki, Kobe, and Yokohama and that a different officer was at work at each. Nagasaki and Kobe were ready in good time. Yokohama was delayed. I have lastly to state that although registered letters for three places

places were~ received at the Post Office until

only one book in which all these letters can be entered and this book cannot by all the three clerks at the same time, this necessarily involving confusion and delay. The Acting Postmaster General does not in his letter charge me

deliberate or

11.25 there is

be in use.

with

any

neglect of duty in this respect,

Or

any

There is

carelessness or

specific

negligence.

only the fact that the

mail