f Appendix, No. i. Jt8 ( Ireland.)— Ninth REPORT OF THE COMMISSIONERS [ Port- originally attached to the Sorting Office, the feiiior Officers thereof enjoying them in l'ucceffiom That of circulating Newfpapers free of Poftage belonged to the four firft Officers, who were denominated Clerks of the Road, according to the then principal Poft Office divifions of the Country, it being their duty to manage the receipt and difpatch of the Mails belonging to the refpeftive Roads over which they prefided ; but fince the Sorting Office has been new modelled, the office oi Clerk of the Road exifts but nominally, and now confifts only in the right of exer- cifing the privilege that was attached to it, and fuch indeed may be confidered to have been for many years the ftate of two of fhefe clerkfhips, even before the recent arrangement, in confequence of one of the perfons holding thofe fituations having been appointed Secretary to the Eftablifhment, and another Keeper of the Alphabet, both of them ceafing to do any duty in the Sorting Office, while they were permitted to retain their privilege of circulating Newfpapers. To thefe two clerkffiips, the Poftmafter General claims the right of appointing, confequently there remain, as appertaining to the Sorting or Inland Office, as it is now called, only two clerkffiips, and the privileges we above defcribed of delivering Exprefs Papers and Lottery Slips. The expectation of fucceeding to thefe lucrative fituations, has , we are informed; led to an abufe in the continuance of Officers 011 the eftabliffiment of the Office, who ought from their advanced age and infirmities to have been fuper- annuated ; and hence it has often happened, that when an Officer has obtained the looked- for appointment, he has been incapable of difcharging the duties at- tached to it. In new modelling this branch of the Poft Office department, the Pofl matters General have propofed that the emoluments arifing from the Clerkfhip of the Leinfter Road, now enjoyed by the Secretary, ffiould, in order to prevent the ne- ceffity of making any addition to his falary, be permanently attached to that office, and that a deduction of one- third ffiould be made from the falaries of fuch other Officers as may in future become entitled to any of the above- mentioned privileges, and that they fhould be required to do duty in perfon ; it is alfo propofed, for the purpofe of enforcing regularity in their attendance, that fhould any of them be abfent from duty even on account of illnefs, for four calendar months in any two fucceffive years, his office fhould, ipfo fadto, become vacant, and be immediately enjoyed by the next in fucceffion, unlefs fuch abfence ffiould have taken place with the Ipecial permiffion of Government. Of this arrangement, fo far as it operates to prevent any increafe of charge againft the public for the falary of the Secretary we fully approve; the exa£ t amount, however, of the emoluments to be allowed him ffiould be afcertained, fo as they may not at any time exceed or fall ffiort of what may be confidered a fair remuneration for his fervices. With refpeft to the remaining part of the propofed arrangement, the falaries affigned to the fuperior Offices throughout the Eftabliffiment, excepting the Secretary, arc fo ample, that they do not feem to require any increafe from other fources, while the Officer who may have toiled the beft of his days to attain one of thefe fituations, may be fuperaniiuated with probably no other provifion than a reduced falary, and the emoluments he expected to derive from the privilege conferred on him, may come to be enjoyed by one not only his junior in office, but greatly his inferior in merit. On thefe confiderations therefore, we are induced to fubmit, that the monies arif^ ing from the circulation of Newfpapers, and the delivery by Exprefs of Lottery Slips and Britifh Newfpapers, ffiould be formed into a fund in aid of the provifion to be made by Government for maintaining fuch Officers of the General Poft Office, as have after long and faithful fervices been compelled by age or infirmity to retire from office. The profits arifing from the circulation of Iriffi Newfpapers, according to a flate- ment made of them by the Clerks of the Roads in the year 1 802, appear to have amounted 011 an average of the three year6 ending 5; h January preceding, to £. 2,158. 17. 10.; it having been however reprefented, that in confequence of the Union, they had in that year fallen confiderably ffiort of that fum, Govern- ment was we find induced, on the recommendation of the Poftmafters General, to dire£ t, that at the expiration of each year, the total receipts for fupplying the Country with Newfpapers Ihould be brought into one fund or joint ftock, and that whatever the profits wanted of the above fum ffiould be fupplied out of the Re- venue of the Poft Office, and diftributed according to the proportion each Clerk was entitled to ; for fome years immediately fucceeding this arrangement fuch de- ficiencies were very confiderable, but they appear to have gradually diminilhed, x 2 and