Do not you think some time might be faved in paffing the accounts through your office?

I fuppofe it might be done by a longer attendance of the clerks, there are four clerks directed by patent, and I pay an additional one, that was in confequence of an order of the commiffioners before I was in office. I believe one or two of my clerks have employments in the evening, the first clerk has an employment in the customs; the others out of it, the clerks are to be in the office from ten to about three, except ufual red letter days. I hold no other office in the cuftoms.

When the accounts are in poffeffion of your office, could they not be gone through in three months?

I can't fay precifely how much time might be faved, undoubtedly a saving might be made. Withdrew.

I am Deputy to the Surveyor of the Out Port accounts, who is Mr. Robert Thompfon.

How many months does it take to pass the accounts through your office, from the time they come to you from the examiners?

From the time I receive them from the examiners, within fix months I fign them, return them to the examiners in confequence of their immediately return ing them to the Comptroller General, who gives them a receipt. There is only myself in my office, no other clerk, I am in the Long Room, as Copying Clerk of the Entries Inwards, generally called Clerk of the Wards, Mr. Thompson always leaves the whole of the office to me; he does not often give his atten dance. I receive 30l. a year from Mr. Thompfon, his falary is 3661. 16s. 8d. out of which there are many deductions, the clear produce is 2531. 16s. 8d.His office is by patent during pleasure.

If you had an able affiftant in your office, could you not pass the accounts in a fhorter time ?

It would be more liable to error if it was done in a shorter time, if my principal was equal to it, and to give his attendance, we could pass the accounts in a fhorter time, I do the business chiefly in the holidays, and other leifure times the Long Room requires very conftant attendance.

The bufinefs of my office is to compare my books with the examiners, and to fign their abstracts, the Comptrollers Books with the examiners abftra&ts of the Collectors books.

If you had no other bufinefs but the comparing those books, in how fhort a time could you do it?

It would take three months at leaft; I compare the books, I look at the abftracts, and the particular parts of the Comptrollers books, I find out errors in the examiners abstracts, I receive the Comptrollers account when the examiners receive the collectors, quarterly, as foon as I receive the Comptrollers book I put it by, and I look at it as foon as I can, before I receive the Collectors from the Examaminers, to see there are no mistakes.

Withdrew.

Mr. Jofeph Powell examined.

I am first clerk to the Comptroller General, Mr. Hugh Valence Jones, there are twelve clerks in my office, they have no other offices in the Cuftoms, they attend from about ten to three, it requires twelve months to pass the accounts through our office, from the time we receive them till we give them in to the Auditor of the Imprcfts-The accounts come to us incomplete, vouchers are wanting, fo that we are obliged to make an account fometimes three or four times over again, the inspectors cannot tell, because they have no check-We have a grofs account fent us up monthly, which we compare with the quarter books, to fee that the balances coincide, we make every thing double; one for ourselves, the other to go to the Auditor, not copied only, but two fets of clerks make up two accounts.

Do you imagine the previous fteps through which these accounts pafs tend rather to expedite or to embarrass the accounts in your hands ?

Certainly they delay us.

If they were to come immediately to you from the Collector and Comptroller of the Out Ports, do you imagine the accounts could be made up so precisely and more expeditiously?

Not fo precifely, but more expeditiously, for if the accounts came primarily to us, we should be about the accounts of the last year. The Examiners are to compute the entry of every fort of goods, we don't compute the duties, we com pute all the falaries and incidents, we enter every voucher upon every head, we examine whether the fums are right caft up, that is all we do on the Debentures. Would it be poffible to get the business through your office fooner by a closer attendance of the clerks ?

I think not, as it is an office of figures.

The account given in by me to-day is made out from the Collector's tak

account.

We could not do the bufinefs of our accounts accurately in lefs than twelve months.

Up to what time have the accounts been paffed by the Auditor? To 1771 inclufive-but we have got the quietus only to 1769-The accounts have been delivered in to the Auditor up to 1779 inclufive,

Withdrew.

MINUTE June 19, 1782, on the Charges against the Examiner of the Quarter Books, &c and for shortening the periods for adjufting and compleating the fame.

June 19, 1782.

THE Report of the General Surveyors, in return to Minute of the ft inftant, on the charge against Mr. Barnard, one of the Examiners of the Out Port Collectors quarter books, that in breach of the minute dated May 14, 1772, he neglected to attend the Secretary's office every Monday morning, to receive the Collectors quarter books, tranfmitted to the aforefaid office in order for his examination; by which neglect the public accounts for Lady Day quarter laft have remained in the faid office unnoticed for upwards of one month; was read, together with his anfwer. And the board obferving, that on May 14 laft, when

they

they called for the book in which the Examiners fign receipts for the out port Collectors quarter books, debentures, &c. that Mr. Maclean, clerk to Mr. Barnard, had regularly figned for the fame ;

Refolved, That Mr. Barnard is acquitted of the charge.

The reports of the General Surveyors, in return to minute of the rft inftant, on fimilar charges against Meffrs. Huddesford, Moreton, and Blackstone, the three other Examiners of the out port quarter books, were alfo read, together with the faid officers anfwers. And the board obferving, that on May 14, laft, when they called for the book before-mentioned, that neither of thofe officers, nor either of their clerks, had figned for the respective quarter books for Lady Day quarter last; and they having admitted, by the answers to the charges given them thereupon, that they have neglected to attend in the Secretary's office every Monday morning to receive the faid quarter books, as required by the minute of May 14, 1772, but having alledged, in extenuation of their neglect, that they or their clerks have always attended, whenever notice has been given to them for that purpose by the clerk in the Secretary's office, by whom the faid books are delivered out.

Refolved, That this board will not, in any cafe, admit of a practice being urged in excufe for a direct breach of the board's pofitive orders in writing.

And obferving that the fame minute of May 14, 1772, which established the above mentioned regulations, alfo granted to the faid Examiners a very confiderable addition to their falaries, to enable them to procure the neceffary affistance, and as an incentive to diligence and dispatch, upon the conditions therein contained; which the faid Examiners have not fulfilled, particularly in not attending every Monday morning to receive the quarter books as above-mentioned;

Refolved, That the faid Huddesford, Moreton, and Blackftone, have thereby forfeited their proportions of 40l. per annum for the quarter books due from the out ports for Lady Day quarter laft.

And ordered, That they be not paid the ufual allowance of rol. each for that fet of quarter books accordingly; of which the firft copying clerk in the Secre tary's office is to have notice: but they are strictly enjoined to complete the fame within the ufual time, and the Comptroller General is to report in cafe they fail therein.

And whereas the attention of the public in general, and that of Parliament in particular, has been turned towards the ftate of the public accounts, by appointing Commiffioners for taking and ftating the fame, and alfo by a Committee of Finance, the Board think the Examiners have thewn great want of public fpirit, as well as a difregard for their own credit and the management of this Board, by being guilty of fo great a negligence; which further proves, that by leaving the quarter books in the Secretary's Office untouched for one month after their arrival, that the period of fix months allotted them by minute of FebFuary 29, 1776, for the examination of the faid books, &c. is more than is neceffary; it is therefore

Refolved, That in future the Examiners fhall deliver over the quarter books, debentures, &c. to the Inspector and Surveyor of the out port Accounts, within four months after the faid books are due; viz. the quarter books for Lady Day fhall be fo delivered on or before August 1, following, and fo progreffively for the other quarters, on pain of forfeiting 10l. for each fet of quarter books, given them by the before-mentioned minute May 14, 1772, with fuch further cenfure as the nature of the cafe fhall appear to deferve.

And

And the Board having on this occasion attentively read and confidered a copy of the examination of Sir William Musgrave, Mr. Frewin, clerk to one of the examiners, Mr. Eddington, inspector of out port vouches, Mr. Saxby, deputy to the furveyor of out port accounts, and Mr. Powell, firft clerk to the Comptroller General, by the Committee of the House of Commons for finance, on the 5th inftant; and it thereby appearing, by the confeffion of those officers; that the principals feldom attend in perfon, that many of their clerks and deputies, have other employments in the Cuftom House and elsewhere, and that none of the clerks attend after three o'clock in the afternoon; and they having further confeffed, that if thefe abuses were regulated, the business of their refpective offices could be done in a much shorter fpace of time than is allotted them by minute 29th February 1776: and the board obferving that the compt. rollers quarter books are delivered to the furveyor of out port accounts as foon as they arrive in London, and that the accounts of falaries and incidents are in like manner immediately delivered to the infpcctor of the vouchers, whereby they are refpectively enabled to proceed upon and complete the most difficult and laborious parts of their respective dutics during the time the examiners are computing the collectors quarter books, fo that nothing remains for the furveyor of the out port accounts, when the examiners have done, but to compare their abstracts with the comptrollers quarter books, which ought to have been previously examined by the faid furveyors; and in like manner, that nothing remains for the inspector of out port vouchers, but to examine the debentures, &c. received by him from the examiners;

Refolved, that this proportion of the refpective officers duties may be performed in two months instead of fix, as formerly allotted to them by minute of 29th February 1776.

And ordered, that these officers do ftrictly and punctually deliver over to the Comptroller General their refpective proportions of the collectors accounts and vouchers, within two months after they have received the fame from the examiners, viz. the accounts for Lady Day quarter, which are hereby directed to be finished by the examiners on or before the 1ft August, shall be delivered over to the Comptroller General by the faid inspector and furveyor on or be fore the ift October following.

And it appearing in the courfe of the examination of Mr. Powell, that the Comptroller General has only twelve clerks in his office, whereas the allowance made to Mr. Burnett in the year 1717, and to Mr. Parfens in 1736 and 1777, have provided for a much larger number; and the board confidering that the Comptroller General is proceeding in the quarter books progreflively, as he receives them from the fubordinate checks, they are of opinion that he may complete any fet of quarter books within fix months after they come to his hands; and, as they will, by the regulations contained in this minute, be delivered to him by the inspector and examiners within fix months after they are due;

Ordered, that he do complete his examination thereof within fix months after they come to his hands, fo that he may comply with the conditions of his patent, fo far at least as to render to the auditors a general account of the customs for each year before the expiration of the following year.

A further report from the general furveyors, in return to minute of the if inftant on the charge against Mr. Gazeley, one of the clerks in the Secretary's

office,

office, for having neglected to acquaint the Board of the grofs omiffion of the examiners of the collectors quarter books, in not attending every Monday. morning to receive the faid books, agreeably to the minute of the 14th May 1772; and for having fuffered the faid examiners to take the faid accounts juft when it fuited their own conveniency, without regarding the aforefaid minute, was read, together with Mr. Gazeley's anfwer. and it appearing that he has not complied with the directions of the faid minute;

Ordered, that Mr. Gazeley be reprimanded for this neglect by the general furveyors, and acquainted, that another offence of this kind will not be paffed over without inflicting foine punishment; and that he do not only inform the Board when the examiners fail to attend to receive the faid accounts, but he fhall alfo, on the next board day after the ft days of February, May, Auguft and November, refpectively, lay before the Board a lift of fuch ports from which the accounts and vouchers have not arrived previous to thofe days, or from which no letters have been received certifying that the accounts and vouchers have been regularly forwarded and are now on the road to this office, in order that letters may be written to the feveral collectors and comptrollers to haften the fame; and where they fhall appear to have been repeatedly guilty of the fame negli gence, that the Board may proceed to inflict fuch punifhment as they may deferve; and Mr. Gazeley (or the clerk officiating at the feat, No. 5.) is to be particularly careful to apprize the Board whenever the accounts do not arrive agreeably to fuch letters of advice.

An ACCOUNT of the Heads of the Revenue, with the different Dates of Commencement.