not pledged in any way to give an Assistant Surveyorship to any candidate on account of his success in the examination.

No person who has been previously successful in an examination for the situation of Assistant of Excise, and has passed into actual employment in that capacity, will be eligible to compete.

4. A fee will be required from each candidate attending the examination, according to the scale laid down in the Order in Council of 22nd March, 1879, by notice in the London Gazette of 29th April, 1881.*

5. Applications for permission to attend a further examination must be made at such times and in such manner as the Civil Service Commissioners may appoint.

Assistant Surveyors of Taxes commence at £100, and rise by triennial increments of £37 10s. to £400. The minimum salary to a Surveyor of Taxes in charge of a district is £200 per annum.

The following account of the duties and prospects of Excisemen will be of interest to intending candidates. At the commencement of his work, each successful candidate is employed for six weeks at a distillery under the direct supervision of a superior officer, with a view to his receiving instruction in his future duties. He is then examined by the Collector, and when he has successfully passed through this ordeal he is duly installed as a Second class Assistant; but, like all other Government officials, he is on probation for a period of six months. As Second class Assistant his salary is £60 per annum, besides which he receives 2s. per day (Sundays included) for each day he is employed in a division, or 3s. in a ride. He may have to wait his turn for employment, as those who have been longest unemployed have the prior claim. The first step in promotion is that to First class Assistant, with a permanent salary of £95 per annum; the next, that to Ride Officer, with a commencing salary of £115, rising by £5 per annum to £130, a further allowance of £40 being made for the keep of a horse, where such is required, and also a varying allowance not exceeding 7s. 6d. per week (known as "subsistence allowance") towards the expense incurred by absence from home. In some cases where there are facilities for railway travelling, &c., an allowance is made for this purpose, in lieu of the regulation allowance for the keep of a horse.

If promotion beyond that of Ride Officer be desired, it is necessary for the officer to petition the authorities, after having served at least one year in that capacity; and to await his turn by seniority, when, if the manner in which he has performed his work is considered satisfactory, he is appointed a Division Officer, with a commencing salary of £140, rising by £5 a year to £200 per annum. Two years' service in this capacity entitles the officer to petition for further promotion, to obtain which it is necessary for him to pass a departmental examination, which is held at Somerset House. As in the previous case, however, he must await his turn by seniority before being called upon to attend the examination, unless he is fortunate enough to receive a "special" call before his turn, in consequence of an unusually favourable report from his Collector. If successful at this examination, and if his books are satisfactory, he is appointed an Examiner, with a salary of £200 per annum, and is generally employed either officiating for sick or absent Supervisors, or examining the books of others who are eligible for promotion.

During this period he receives an allowance of £60 a year in a Second class district, or £40 a year in a First class district, where there is less travelling. As vacancies arise Examiners are appointed Second class Supervisors, with a

*The fee in the present case is £1.

commencing salary of £230, rising by £10 a year to £270, a further allowance of £55 being made for the maintenance of a horse, and also a varying subsistence allowance not exceeding 20s. per week. Supervisors of the First Class commence at £280, and rise by £10 a year to £320. A further examination is necessary to procure promotion to the post of Assistant Inspector, the salary for which commences at £350 per annum, and rises by £10 per annum to £400. Above these officials are the Inspectors, the Superintending Inspectors, and the Chief Inspector, who are the practical advisers of the Board of Inland Revenue, and who pay visits of surprise to the various districts. From the ranks of the Assistant Inspectors are also appointed the Collectors, the salaries of whom can be seen in the Appendix. The Clerks to these Collectors are appointed from members of the Surveying Branch, on passing an examination in book-keeping by double entry.

The hours of Excise officials are, as a rule, irregular and uncertain, and their duties are multifarious, including the survey of articles manufactured by distillers, brewers, rectifiers, tobacco manufacturers, &c., and the collection of establishment and other licences. When engaged in distilleries, they may be employed during any hours of the day or night. They are liable to be sent to any part of the United Kingdom, and promotion from one grade to another is almost invariably accompanied by a removal. Their books are closely scrutinised by their superiors, and any negligence is reported to headquarters.

It will thus be seen that the life of Excise officials is by no means an easy one; and considering the importance of their work, it is to be hoped that their position and salary may at no distant day be considerably improved.

It may be added that, as a rule, about four years elapses before a Second class Assistant is promoted to the First class; another two years before he is appointed to a ride; and a further period of six years before he can be appointed a Division Officer. The majority of officers who have lately been appointed as Examiners have been 17 or 18 years in the Service.

SPECIAL REGULATIONS FOR OUTDOOR OFFICERS IN THE CUSTOMS DEPARTMENT.

1. The limits of age for this situation are 19 and 25. Candidates must be of the prescribed age on the first day of the month in which the examination is held.

2. No candidate will be eligible for appointment who is less than 5 ft. 4 in. in height and 34 in. round the chest, or who, if 5 ft. 10 in. and upwards in height, is less than 35 in. round the chest.

3. The examination will be in the following subjects, viz. :—1. Handwriting, 200 marks; 2. Orthography, 200 marks; 3. Arithmetic (to Vulgar and Decimal Fractions), 300 marks; 4. English Composition, 200 marks.

4. Candidates failing in any of the above-named subjects will not be eligible.

5. Application for permission to attend an examination must be made at such times and in such manner as the Commissioners may appoint.

6. A fee will be required from each candidate attending the examination, according to the scale laid down, under the Order in Council of 22nd March, 1879, by notice in the London Gazette of 29th April, 1881.

The

The salary of an Outdoor Officer of Customs commences at £55 per annum, and rises by annual increments of £1 10s. to £80 per annum. salary of the class above commences at £85 per annum, and rises by £1 10s. to £100 per annum. Outdoor Officers are eligible for promotion to higher situations after a period of approved service, either by a further competitive

examination or by selection on account of merit and good conduct. The subjects of the competitive examination for promotion to the grade of second class Examining Officer are:-1, Handwriting; 2, Orthography; 3, Arithmetic (including Vulgar and Decimal Fractions); 4, English Composition and Précis Writing; and 5, Practical subjects. The questions in 5 are prepared and the answers valued by the Board of Customs.

The Customs Outdoor Establishment consists of the following grades, viz. : -Boatmen or Watermen, Outdoor Officers, Examining Officers, Surveyors, Inspectors, and Surveyors-General.

The position of Boatman is obtainable by Treasury appointment, through the nomination of Members of Parliament.

For that of Outdoor Officer, competitive examinations are held as described in the above regulations, and officers of the higher grades are chosen from their ranks. The Port of London being the principal one in the United Kingdom, and the duties at the other ports being similar, a description of the work performed by Outdoor Officers in London will sufficiently explain the nature of the duties performed at any of the other ports.

When first admitted to the Service in London, Outdoor Officers are usually directed to proceed to Gravesend and report themselves to the Surveyor of the station. They are then taken to the Government cutter, called the "Dolphin," where they await the arrival of ships from foreign ports, and their probationary period of six months may then be said to have commenced.

The usual custom is for the Quarantine Examining Officer to place the probationers on board of vessels with one or two established Outdoor Officers, who are required to instruct learners in the various duties appertaining to their position. Their chief duties consist of watching and guarding vessels on their way to the docks and river stations, where the import cargoes are discharged, the accounts of all the deliveries being taken by the Outdoor Officers until the vessels are finally discharged. It frequently happens that they have to keep watch on board during the night, relieving each other every four or six hours, according to circumstances. During this time they are visited at uncertain but frequent periods by their superior officers; and in some cases it is necessary to remain on board the vessel for several days. Sleeping accommodation (which is sometimes of an indifferent character) is invariably provided, it being compulsory by Act of Parliament for all shipmasters to set apart sufficient space under deck for this purpose. Another of the duties of Outdoor Officers is to attend the shipment of outward or export cargoes, and a considerable number are employed on this kind of work.

After a few years of service at Gravesend the majority of officers, unless promoted to higher positions, are allowed to remove to London, and are here stationed at the various docks, wharves, vaults, &c. They are sometimes selected to perform the work of Examining Officers, and when so employed receive additional pay of one shilling per day. The hours of attendance, except when boarding vessels, are usually from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m., and they are generally exempt from Sunday duty.

Examining Officers are appointed by promotion from the ranks of Outdoor Officers, and are selected either on account of good conduct during many years' service, or after departmental competitive examination, for which all Outdoor Officers of three years' approved service are eligible.

The duties of Examining Officers consist of boarding, rummaging, and quarantine work (these duties being performed immediately on the arrival of vessels from foreign parts), and also visiting such vessels, and the Outdoor Officers boarded thereon, during the discharge of the import cargoes.

Examining Officers are also employed in examining and clearing free goods out of charge, and weighing, gauging, and testing all imported goods liable to duty; and they are also responsible for properly assessing the amount of duty on all such goods which have been warehoused and subsequently cleared for home consumption.

Besides these duties they are required to examine and certify to the shipment of all dutiable goods for exportation, and to satisfy themselves as to the integrity of such transactions; and also to attend to the examination and passing of passengers' baggage arriving from foreign parts, some of them being employed on this special duty at the railway baggage stations in London. Since the amalgamation of the Warehousing Clerical Departments and the Outdoor Departments on the 1st June, 1882, the whole of the clerical work connected with the warehouse accounts has been transferred to the Outdoor Department, the accounts now being kept by the Examining Officers.

In some instances Examining Officers are engaged in the work of the Board of Trade, this being especially the case at the outports, where the chief part of the duties of that department devolve on the Officers of Customs.

Surveyors are chosen from the Senior Examining Officers, who are selected by the Board on account of good character and special fitness for the position. They are appointed to the charge of stations, such as docks, vaults, warehouses, and river stations. Their duties are various, and are at all times of a very responsible nature.

On each station there is a staff of Examining and Outdoor Officers, the whole of whose work is performed under the immediate supervision of the Surveyor for the station. In addition to this work, it is the duty of Surveyors to occasionally re-rummage vessels, and re-examine goods that are entered as free of duty. They have also to re-weigh dry goods which are liable to duty, such as tobacco, tea, coffee, &c., and tare a percentage of the packages in which such goods are contained, and to re-gauge and re-test wet goods, such as brandy, wines, &c. There are only five Inspectors in the port of London; these posts being filled by officers specially selected by the Board, irrespective of the port to which they belong. Their duties consist of the supervision of groups of stations or districts to which they are appointed, the Board holding them responsible for the discipline and proper working of the stations intrusted to their charge. Collectors' duties at the Outports are similar to those performed by the Inspectors in London.

Appointments to the post of Surveyor-General are also made by the Board without regard to the port to which the officer is attached. This position is the highest attainable in the Outdoor Department of Customs.

The duties of Surveyor-General consist of visiting the stations in London, and the whole of the Outports, where they inspect the accounts and inquire into the characters of all the officers, and advise the Board on all important questions of practice. It should be added that promotions are general from port to port, and that the highest positions in the Outdoor Department are the legitimate prizes of steady, persevering, and efficient officers, as all such positions are given to members of the Department.

SPECIAL REGULATIONS FOR FEMALE CLERKSHIPS IN THE RECEIVER AND ACCOUNTANT-GENERAL'S OFFICE, AND IN THE SAVINGS BANK DEPARTMENT, GENERAL POST OFFICE.

1. Candidates will be required to satisfy the Civil Service Commissioners— (a) That their age on the first day of the competitive examination is not less than 18 nor more than 20.

Note.*-By the regulations governing the admission to situations in tht General Post Office "persons previously employed in the public service, or in that of any of the telegraph companies absorbed into the Post Office, will be eligible as to age for appointment to any situation not included in Schedule A of the Order in Council of 4th June, 1870, provided their age, when they were first employed, did not exceed the superior limit of age attached at that timet to the situation to which they seek to be appointed, and provided also that such appointment has been continuous."

(b) That they are unmarried or widows.

(c) That they are duly qualified in respect of health and character. 2. At each competitive examination the number of candidates to be selected will be such as the Postmaster-General may from time to time fix.‡

3. The competitive examination will be in the following subjects, viz. :— 1. Arithmetic. 3. Geography.

2. English Composition, with special 4. English History. reference to grammatical accuracy.

At this examination marks will be given for spelling and handwriting, as shown in the Exercises on the above subjects.

4. No candidate can be admitted to the competition who has not previously satisfied the Commissioners that she possesses the requisite amount of proficiency in the following subjects:

1. Handwriting.

2. Spelling.

3. Arithmetic (including Vulgar and Decimal Fractions).

With this view, preliminary examinations in these subjects will be held at such times and at such places as the Civil Service Commissioners may appoint. 5. Application for permission to attend an examination must be made at such times and in such manner as may be fixed by the Civil Service Commissioners.

6. A fee of 1s. will be required from every candidate attending a preliminary examination, and a further fee of 1s. 6d. from every candidate attending a competitive examination.

Note.-Female Clerks will be required to resign their appointments on

marriage.

The salary of a Female Clerk commences at £60 per annum, and rises by £3 per annum to £80 per annum. For superior offices see salaries in Appendix. Female Clerks are not employed in Post Offices, and should not be confounded with Female Telegraph Learners.

REGULATIONS FOR MALE TELEGRAPH LEARNERS IN GENERAL POST OFFICE.

Open competitions are now held periodically for the above posts.

1. The limits of age are 14 and 18.

age on the day of examination.§

Candidates must be of the prescribed

* On and after 1st July, 1883, the rule will be as follows:-" In reckoning age for competition, persons who have served for two full consecutive years in any civil situation to which they were admitted with the certificate of the Civil Service Commissioners may deduct from their actual age any time not exceeding five years which they may have spent in such service.

The superior limit attached to the situation of Female Clerk was 40 from February, 1875, till January, 1876, and 30 from 1st January, 1876, to 31st May, 1881.

This number will generally be fixed with the view of providing for the vacancies of the next six months.

§ Successful candidates have to attend the Post Office Telegraph School to undergo a course of instruction in Telegraphy, for which instruction no charge is made; but they do not receive any pay while at the school. The course of instruction usually extends over a period of three months; but if, after a trial of one month, or at any later period of their