Postal Manual Vol. VIII - India Post

account clerk to sub and branch offices and carefully observe the sub-account clerk’s work,
especially in connection with the preparation of account and branch office bags for despatch, and
the disposal of the contents of such bags received. He should examine the sub-office and branch
office summaries [A.C.G.-3 and A.C.G.-3 (a)] and some of the daily accounts to see whether
mistakes made by sub and branch postmasters are duly corrected.
226. Departments that deal with the public.- The Superintendent should see that the
arrangements made for the transaction of business in the departments of the office which deal
directly with the public, especially the money order and and savings bank departments, are
satisfactory. He should also see that the public are afforded every possible convenience for
transacting business, that they are not subject to any avoidable delay and that they are invariably
treated with courtesy.
227. Error book.- At every visit to the post office, the Superintendent should call for the
error book (MS.-2) and examine the entries made since his last visit. This will give him some idea
of efficiency of the post office establishment and of the working of other offices in the division
with which mails are exchanged. He should satisfy himself that the error book is regularly written
up by testing the entries with notes of irregularities which have come to his notice from other
sources or which he has entered in his memorandum book.
228. Postmaster’s Order Book.- At every visit to the post office the Superintendent
should call for the postmaster’s order book (MS.-1) and examine the entries made since his last
visit. This will show to what extent the postmaster applies tests to the working of his clerks,
postmen and village postmen, and generally whether he takes an intelligent interest in the working
of his office.
TESTS
All Superintendents
229. Object of applying tests.- The Superintendent will find it always useful, and
sometimes necessary, to apply tests with the object of detecting malpractices, or satisfying himself
that the officials in the offices and sections under his control observe rules. Tests applied will be
noted by the Superintendent in his diary (Gen.-1)
230. Tests on credit of unpaid postage.- (1) When a Superintendent of post offices is
present in a head or sub office under his control at the time station mail bags are opened, he should
calculate the postage due on the unpaid articles of the letter mail received for delivery from that
office and its subordinate offices, and compare the amount with the daily average credited by the
postmaster, calculated on the entries in the letter postage account (ACG.-44) or in the memo. of
unpaid postage taxed and received (Pa.-22) direct, as the case may be, during the preceding three
months. If there is any considerable difference, an explanation should be sought and the fact
should be noted in the Superintendent’s diary.
(2) Whenever the Superintendent has reason to suspect that a postmaster fails to afford full
credit for the postage due on unpaid articles of the letter mail received for delivery or taken excess
credit for forward postage, he should apply tests to the honesty of the postmaster in the manner
laid down in the rules relating to Investigations in the Posts and Telegraphs, Volume V.
231. Test on clearance of letter-boxes.- The Superintendent should frequently test the
punctual clearance of letter-boxes by posting in them test letter (M.-29) or post cards (M.-26)
addressed to himself, or having such test letters posted by his Inspectors or other subordinates. He