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76

drawn from the Treasury only as required to satisfy the requisitions of the Deputy Commissioners. The stock held on credit by the depositaries is replenished by purchase from the Deputy Commissioners for cash, not from the head office. The Deputy Commissioners make periodical returns to the Audit of these supplies drawn from the Head Office, and of their sales and balances in hand, discharging these accounts by payments into the Public Account at the Bank, and these returns are checked- against the returns showing the issues to them from the Head Office. All impressed stamps are made at the Head Office only on requisitions sent in either by the persons requiring them, accompanied by the cash payment for them, or by the Deputy Commissioners, or by Banks to whom they are issued on credit. Impressed stamps are not sent to the Treasury, but directly to the person applying for them. The values are entered in the Stock-book in order of the date of issue, those issued for cash being separately noted. The credit in the Stock-book is posted from the invoices sent with each parcel, and, in the case of spoiled stamps, from the Register spoken of above. The Stock-book is balanced weekly A record is kept in the stamping-room of all impressed stamps created, which is initialled by the clerk in the receiving-room, to whom they are delivered for issue. Deeds after execution are stamped with adhesive stamps in the offices of the Deputy Commissioners, who assess the duties, subject to correction at the Head Office . but they are only stamped upon requisitions from the parties concerned, which contain a sufficient description of each instrument to enable the Audit Office, to whom the requisitions are sent, to determine whether the correct duty has been paid. The accounts kept in the Secretary's Office are very simple and are not kept by double entry The Stamp Paper llecord-book shows the receipts and issues of the paper of various kinds and the number of sheets of each sort in stock, with the commencing and concluding number in each case. This book is balanced monthly and the balance in hand brought down. The Stock-book is debited with the value of the stamps received from the Treasury, under each requisition, and with spoiled stamps returned by the Deputy Commissioners, and is credited with the values of stamps sent to the Deputy Commissioners, posted from the invoices which accompany each parcel, and from the certificates of the spoiled stamps destroyed. Stamps are destroyed by two officers, one of the Stamp Office and one of the Audit Office, who certify to the quantities and values destroyed. A Register of Spoiled Stamps is kept which is examined and initialled by an Audit clerk about once a month, from which the entries of spoiled stamps received and destroyed are posted into the Stock-book. This Register includes impressed as well as adhesive stamps spoiled. The Deputy Commissioners take credit in their accounts for the spoiled stamps returned, which are again checked with the entries in the Register kept in the Head Office. The Bank ledger is an account against each Bank to which stamps are issued on credit, debited with issues to, and credited with sales by, the Bank, and with spoiled stamps returned. The Revenue Ledger shows the stamp revenue collected by each Deputy Commissioner, and at the Head Office, for impressed stamps issued to each. It contains also a general account of the whole stamp revenue of the colony The Depositaries' Ledger is a record of the stock on credit with every depositary , and the Distributers' Ledger is a list of persons who are licensed to sell stamps throughout the colony, but supply themselves by purchasing from the Deputy Commissioners for cash.