City Post Office in your Division—without any pre-arranged date or notice of the time at which such inspection will be made.

The inspection should, however, take place on the 1st of a month, so that the Accountant may be able to verify from your report the entries in the accounts of the Postmaster for the month preceding.

In making these inspections you must verify the Stamp Account of the office—personally count the stock on hand, and see that it agrees with the amount stated in the Postmasters' Stamp Account, made up to the last day of the month, to which account you should attach your signature.

Satisfy yourself that all other items of revenue, such as postage on unpaid matter, on insufficiently paid matter and on newspapers, also rent of boxes, and drawers, &c., are duly brought to account.

Certify to the numbers of both boxes and drawers rented at the time of your inspection.

Investigate the state of the Money Order and Savings Bank business, and see that the regulations and instructions are closely adhered to.

Enquire into the conduct and efficiency of each person employed.

See that all the work of the Letter Carrier's Branch is promptly and accurately performed. That all the Carriers are supplied with and wear uniforms. That an account is kept by the Postmaster of the cost thereof, and that the outlay incurred does not exceed the amount allowed by the Postmaster General.

Forward to the Postmaster General the result of your inspection as promptly as possible, giving clear and full information on the several points enquired into.

12.  See that all errors and irregularities are reported to you by the Postmaster or Railway Mail Clerk by whom observed, and that prompt steps are taken for their correction.

Irregularities of whatever kind should be promptly enquired into and corrected; if overlooked they have always a tendency to increase.

13.  Investigate thoroughly all cases of complaint. Obtain a clear statement of the charges made, and of the facts which can be proved in support of these charges, and from these facts draw your conclusions.

In cases where the evidence is conflicting, the characters and antecedents of the parties concerned may probably be important elements for consideration.

14.  In making investigations bear in mind that any person who haw been detected in one dishonest act may probably have been guilty of other dishonest acts, and that your enquiry should therefore cover, not only the particular case under investigation, but other irregular or fraudulent proceedings, which it is possible may have been committed by the party suspected. This point should be particularly remembered in regard to offices transacting Money Order and Savings Bank business.

15.  You have authority, for the purpose of any official enquiry or investigation it may be your duty to make, to apply to any Judge of the Superior or Exchequer Court of Canada, or of the Superior Court of the Province of Quebec, or of any one of the Superior Courts of either of the Provinces, or to any Judge or Stipendiary Magistrate in and for the Territories, for an order that a subpœna be issued from the Court or Magistrate, commanding any person therein named to appear before you at the time and place mentioned in the subpœna, and then and there to testify to all matters within his knowledge, and (if so required) to produce any document or thing he may have in his possession relative to such enquiry or investigation. And any witness may be summoned from any part of Canada, within or without the ordinary jurisdiction of the Court. Judge, or Magistrate issuing the subpœna,—any reasonable travelling expenses being tendered to any witness so subpœned at the time of such service. And any person thus summoned who may neglect or refuse to appear, or refuse to give evidence or to produce the papers demanded of him, may, by order of the Court, Judge or Magistrate who issued the subpœna, be taken into custody and imprisoned in the common gaol of the locality, as for contempt of Court, for a period not exceeding fourteen (14) days.

16.  You have also authority to examine any person on oath or affirmation on any matter pertinent to any investigation you may make; and such oath or affirmation may be administered by you to any person you may so desire to examine.

17.  You and any officer under you having the rank of Assistant P.O. Inspector, have authority to require any Postmaster or Assistant Postmaster in any Post Offices, Mail Contractor or other person in the employment or service of, or undertaking to perform any duty or work for the Post Office Department, to make and sign an oath or declaration in the following form, or to a like effect.—

I (insert the name of the person and the capacity in which he is employed in or by the Post Office) do solemnly and sincerely promise and swear, (or declare if the person is one entitled to declare instead of taking an oath in civil cases), that I will faithfully perform all the duties required of me by my employment in the service of the Post Office, and will abstain from everything forbidden by the laws for the establishment and government of the Post Office Department in Canada, so help me God.

18.  When a formal investigation is necessary, always give due notice to the complainant or complainants, and the party or parties complained against, of the time and place at which the investigation will be held.

19.  In your reports to the Postmaster General of the result of an investigation, state whether the enquiry made was personal or by correspondence. State also clearly in the proper order all the facts bearing on the case, and the conclusions which these facts appear to justify.

20.  In reporting on cases of a confidential character, in which it is not desirable that the facts should be made public, mark the word "confidential" both on the report and on the cover in which it is transmitted.

21.  In all reports in which a previous report is referred to, state in addition to the number and date of the report referred to, its general purport.

22.  In all reports Post Offices should be called by their official names, and not by the name by which they may be known in the locality. This rule applies especially to the Maritime Provinces.

23.  It is desirable that you should make yourself acquainted, as far as may be practicable, with the general character and financial standing of each Postmaster in your Division who has charge of Money Order or Savings Bank duties; and in any case where you have reason for suspecting the possibility of irregular practices, or a disposition to withhold—even for short periods—Post Office monies, a confidential report should be made to the Postmaster General, in order that a close supervision may be kept by the Superintendent on the returns and remittances received from such