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marked the separation. The separation was purely arbitrary, and hamperedjthe" Department in filling vacancies. Now these Chief Postmasters come into the scheme in line with other officers doing work of equal importance, and the title " First Grade " and its limits of salary cover all. This will have the effect, it is believed, of enlightening and contenting officers. The same reasons have dictated the fusion of following classes, and will no doubt produce the same results. An Order in Council renewing Classification Regulations was made on the 29th July, 1907, with effect from the 30th July, 1907. Among changes made were the following : An educational certificate of proficiency is required from applicants for employment in the Clerical Division. The age for appointment to the Clerical Division was reduced from sixteen to fifteen years. Experts may be appointed at an age over twenty years. An officer who joined the Department before the passing of the Post and Telegraph Classification and Regulation Act of 1890 is not now required to pass the senior examination before receiving promotion to any class higher than the Fifth Class (£l9O-£250), (by a later Order in Council, of 2nd May, 1908, the Sixth Class—£2oo-£260), also persons skilled in electricity or telegraphy or in literature, science, or art, to the satisfaction of the Minister, are not required to pass any further examination other than the usual departmental ones. Any person over thirty-five years of age who has been temporarily employed previous to reaching such age, and whose employment has been continuous, is eligible for appointment to the Non-clerical Division. Power is given the Minister to fill vacancies requiring, in his opinion, special experience or special knowledge, in the most suitable way, regardless of seniority of officers. Officers transferred in the same financial year to any grouped class retain the same relative positions as before such transfer. Female officers are granted the same periods of leave as male officers. Non-clerical officers of ten years' service and upwards receive three weeks of annual leave instead of two weeks. Cadets passing an examination in shorthand are granted six months' seniority." Examinations in departmental requirements are specified for postal and telegraph officers and cadets. The position of junior letter-carriers is improved. An Order in Council of the 7th December, 1907, extended the double increment of salary to officers of the Second Grade of the Fifth Class (£l9O-£220) who had passed the Civil Service Senior or an equivalent examination. Amended regulations were made by Order in Council dated the 2nd May, 1908, embodying the provisions of " The Post and Telegraph Classification Act, 1907 " (taking effect from the 14th May). The principal alterations were as follows : — Applicants for employment as a Matron, Supervisor, or Postmistress, or in the telephone exchange, are required to furnish an educational certificate of competency. The minimum age for admission is sixteen years, and the maximum age twenty-five years, except in the case of women appointed as Matrons, Supervisors, Postmistresses, Telegraphists, and Book-keepers, who may be appointed at any age not less than twenty years or more than forty-five years. Women not exceeding forty years of age who have been continuously employed in the Department in a non-permanent capacity for five years may be appointed to a telephone exchange. The minimum age for appointment to the Non-clerical Division has been reduced from sixteen to fifteen years, except for the positions of Post-Office boy messenger and Telegraph message-boy, which remains at thirteen years. No appeal may be referred to the Board of Appeal which purports to take exception to any act otherwise constituting a ground of appeal if such act was done at a time earlier than one year and three months before the date fixed for the next meeting of the Board of Appeal. Every male officer who is married, or who is a widower with a child or children, is to receive a salary of not less than £130. But he is not entitled to claim, and may not be paid, the addition .1 sum of £10 mentioned in the next paragraph until the salary attached to his official position in the Post and Telegraph Departmental List reaches £130. Any sum representing the difference between the salary attached to his official position and a salary of £130 is regarded as a gratuity only. An officer who is married, or is a widower or a widow with a child or children, and is drawing a salary less than £150 per annum, is paid a sum additional to salary of £10 per annum until the salary reaches the sum of £150 per annum. When the difference between the annual salary and £150 is less than £10, a sum equal to the difference only is paid. Officers in the Second, Third, and Fourth Grades of the Twelfth Class who have been fifteen years or upwards in the service of the Department, if favourably reported upon in regard to conduct and efficiency, may be granted, at the discretion of the Minister, good-conduct money at the rate of 6d. per day. Officers promoted in the same financial year to any class retain the same relative positions as they had before such transfer (grouped classes being abolished). In any case in which an officer becomes entitled to promotion without removal from the class in which he is situated, the Minister may, in his discretion, grant to such officer on promotion increment to the salary next beyond that to which he would first become entitled without such promotion under regulations. In addition to writing shorthand at the rate of 100 words a minute, cadets are required to pass anjexamination in typewriting at 40 words per minute in order to obtain six months' seniorit Technical examinations, which all telegraph cadets are by the Classification Regulations required to pass, were held on the 17th September, 1907, and the 27th March, 1908. The number of successful candidates and the percentage of marks on each occasion were satisfactory. An efficiency test, as provided for by the Classification Regulations, applying to Post and Teleofficers before receiving salary in excess of £165 per annum, and a further efficiency test, applying to Postal officers, and a technical examination applying to Telegraph officers before receiving salary in excess of £200 per annum, took place in April-May, 1908, at which also the results were satisfactory.