Job Descriptions
for PostOffice Employees
1852

Taken from Legislative Council records 1852

POSTMASTER GENERAL
General Supervision of the Department; Correspondence; Opening and returning Dead letters and refused letters ; balancing with Window Clerk and Clerk of Letter Carriers; Receipts and inspection of Post offices in the interior. The Post Master General is responsible for all moneys passing through the Offices and the Government look to him for all defalcations. He is also bound in Securities to the amount of Five Hundred Pounds.
ACCOMPTANT CHIEF CLERK
Checking the Accounts of the Department, making up Ship Mails outwards, and assisting in sorting English, mails inwards; General duties of the Letter Office on Thursdays and Fridays and such other times as may be found necessary; and preparing part of correspondence. The Accomptant is in charge of the Office in the absence of the Post master General when on tour of inspection. He is held responsible to the Government, under the Postmaster General, for the Accounts Department.
FIRST CLERK
Bookkeeper assisting in sorting English Mails,and General duties of the letter office.
SECOND CLERK
Window Clerk: responsible for moneys received for Prepaid Letters at Hobart Town and Ship Letters Outwards;Closing Ship Mails,keeping account of Unpaid Ship Letters,preparing Returns for Post Office Statistics,keeping Register of Correspondence,assisting in sorting English and other Ship Mails, and general duties of the Letter Office.
THIRD CLERK
Assistant Bookkeeper; entering charge on Letter Bills(against Postmasters) from the various Post Offices; assisting English and other ship Mails and general duties of the Letter Office.
FOURTH CLERK
Clerk of Letter Carriers Receipts; responsible for Postage received on Unpaid Inland Letters ans Ship Mails inwards; entering Ship Mails Inwards; assisting in sorting English and other English Mails and General duties of the Letter Office.
POSTMASTER Launceston.
General duties of a country Postoffice, with the additional duties arising from the receipt and making up Ship Mails inwards and outwards ; responsible for Postage received at Launceston, amounting to about Three Hundred Pounds per quarter, which is paid in monthly; and is bound in securities to the amount of Three hundred Pounds.
CLERK Launcston
Assisting the Postmaster at launceston in all his duties and making out the Several Returns.
OFFICE KEEPER and HEAD MESSENGER Hobart,Launceston.
In charge of the building and receipts of Mails before and after Office hours; opening English Mails which arrive in boxes; altering the various daily stamps, stamping letters.
LETTER CARRIER
Sorting,Newspapers and delivery of Letters and Newspaper.
MAIL GUARD
To take charge of Mails and to deliver and exchange them at several Post Offices on the line of Road
POSTMASTERS all other areas.
Receiving Mails; assorting and delivering Letters to Applicants; receiving prepaid Letters; making up and despatching Mails; collection of Postages; making out and forwarding Returns to Head Office; responsible for the amount of Postage collected at their respective Offices. The Postmasters are required to give security for the due performance of their duties and to take the Oath of Office.
MAIL RECEIVER
Delivery of Letters to Applicants; sending Letters posted to the Post Office to which they may be attached; collection of Postage.
MESSENGER Oatlands & Eastern Marshes
Delivering and collecting Letters between Oatlands and Eastern Marshes.
MESSENGER Kangaroo Point,Clarence Plains,Muddy Plains,Cambridge.
Receiving,conveying and delivering Mail Bags between the Post Office,Kangaroo Point and its Receiving Houses.

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Last Updated: 27 January 2000