An Act to regulate and restrict the Contigent Charges of the Departments of the Public Service, and to establish a Stationery Office

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31 Victoria, c. 35 (Canada)

An Act to regulate and restrict the Contigent Charges of the Departments of the Public Service, and to establish a Stationery Office.

[Assented to 22nd May, 1868.]

Preamble.

 Her Majesty, by and with the advice and consent of the Senate and House of Commons of Canada, enacts as follows:

 

CONTINGENCIES.

What shall be contingencies.

1. The Contingencies of each Department of the Civil Service shall mean and include only:

1. Subscriptions to and advenising in newspapers;

2. The purchase of books of reference, maps, &c.;

3. Telegraphing;

4. Postages, freight and express charges;

5. Wages of charwomen, and other expenses of cleaning offices;

6. Travelling expenses, including cab hire;

7. Extra clerks, to the extent only sanctioned by the Civil Service Act;

8. Petty expenses, not exceeding in any Department a sum to be apportioned by Order in Council.

Heating, repair, and furnishing Government buildings to be under charge of Public Works.

2. The Department of Public Works is hereby charged with the heating, maintenance and keeping in repair of the Government Buildings at the Seat of Government, and with any alterations, from time to time, requisite therein, and with supplying furniture or fittings or repairs to the same;

How paid for.

and no charge in respect thereof shall be made against or paid out of the vote for contingencies, but an Estimate shall be annually laid before Parliament, of sums required for such purposes, respectively, and any expenditure therefor shall be defrayed out of such sum as may be specially appropriated therefor.

Deputy Heads to give orders for contingencies.

3. So often as any Continpency is required by any Department, whether for an article to be furnished or service to be performed, the Deputy Head of the Department shall apply therefor by requisition, in writing, to the person by whom the same is to be furnished or performed; and such requisition shall, in cases where it can be so made, be antecedent to the delivery of the article or performance of the service.

And certificates for payment.

4. Every account rendered to a Deputy Head for certificate, shall be accompanied by the original requisition, in respect of which such account accrued, and, when certified by him,

To whom to be sent.

shall be forwarded to an officer of the Finance Department, to be called the Accountant of Contingencies, for payment; and, except as hereinafter mentioned, shall then be paid by him.

What the certificate shall state expressly.

5. Every such certificate shall expressly state that each item contained in the account has been incurred by the authority and upon the order of either the Head or Deputy Head of the Department, and that the articles or services charged for have been received or performed, and that the prices charged are in his opinion, severally fair and just, and that the expenditure incurred is necessary for the public service;

Duty of Accountant of contingencies, and of Board of Audit.

but the Accountant of Contingencies shall nevertheless investigate the account, and ascertain the correct price before paying the same; and the Board of Audit shall, fiom time to time, prescribe the mode of investigating accounts, and the standard by which the correct price shall be ascertained by the Accountant of Contingencies before such payment.

Reference to the Auditor and Board of Audit in cases of doubt.

6. In case it shall appear to the Accountant of Contingencies that any such account is for a purpose not included under the above definition of Contingencies, or that it is in excess of the amount for which authority has been given, or that the amount, or any part thereof, has been previously paid, or that there is any other error therein, he shall withhold payment, and submit the account to the Auditor; and if the Auditor, after conference with the Deputy Head, signing the requisition, shall be of opinion that there is any irregularity in the same, he shall submit it to the Board of Audit before payment.

Monthly account by Deputy to Head.

7. The Deputy Head of each Department shall submit to the Head thereof, monthly, an account of the expenditure for contingencies, during the month, with the details of such account.

Monthly Accout to Board of Audit of sums paid in advance.

8. The Accountant of Contingencies shall submit, monthy, through the Auditor, to the Board of Audit at its monthly meeting, a statement of all sums which have been paid in advance and to be accounted for, and which remained unaccounted for at the end of the last preceding month.

Account to the Auditor.

9. The Accountant of Contingencies shall render to the Auditor, monthly, a Statement, in detail, accompanied by Vouchers, of all sums paid by him durin the month, and of all monies received, with a Bank certificate of the balance at his credit at the end of the month.

Estimates for contingencies and application of same voted.

10. The Estimates for Contingencies of each Department shall be prepared and submitted to Parliament separately, but may be voted in one sum, and in that case, and so soon as as conveniently may be after the same have been voted by Parliament, the Governor in Council shall assign a certain sum for defraying the Contingencies of each Department, reserving a certain amount for general expenses, not specially applicable to any individual Department, to be expended upon requisition and certificate of the Chairman of the Civil Service Board, in such manner as is hereinbefore provided, in respect to the Contingencies of any Department.

As to certain expenses connected with Government Buildings.

11. All matters connected with the superintendence of the Government Buildings, other than the maintenance and repairs thereof, hereinbefore mentioned, shall be in charge of the Accountant of Contingencies, under the Civil Service Board, and such Board shall make regulations in respect thereof, subject to the approval of the Governor in Council.

 

STATIONERY.

Stationary office, and management thereof.

12. There shall be a Stationery Oflice for the purposes hereinafter mentioned, and the same shall be attached to the Finance Department, and shall be placed under the superintendence of such Officer or Clerk of that Department, as the Minister of Finance may direct; and the Governor in Council may, subject to the provisions of the Canada Civil Service Act, 1868, appoint any Clerk or Clerks for assistance in the said office as may be found expedient.

Estimates of Stationary, Printing, &c., by Deputy Heads.

13. lt shall be the duty of each Deputy Head of a Department to furnish to the Finance Department, when required: an estimate of the probable quantity, quality and variety of all articles commonly known as “Stationery,"and of the probable amount, in value, of Printing and Binding which may be required for the purposes of each such Department for the then ensuing Financial Year.

Total estimates to be submitted to Parliament, &c.

14. Such estimates shall be referred to the Civil Service Board, who shall thereupon report to the Governor in Council, the total probable amount, in quantities, qualities and value, required for the Stationery, Printing and Binding for the Departments of the Civil Service for such year, and a requisite sum therefor shall be placed in the Estimates as a separate item, under the head of Civil Government;

Apportionment to each Department.

and an apportionment in respect of each Department shall be made by the Governor in Council, which may be increased or varied tom time to time, so that the whole sum voted by Parliament in any year, together with the value of the stock on hand, be not exceeded;

Report to Governor in Council; and contracts for supplies or work.

the said Board shall further report to the Governor in Council, the mode or modes in which the said Board propose that the said articles or services shall be procured and performed, and the regulations under which tenders may be asked for for the same respectively, and as to the terms of acceptance thereof, and as to the mode of collection and disposal of the waste paper of the several Departments;

Supplies of stationery, &c. Reports approved by Gov. in Council.

and upon the approval by the Governor in Council of such Reports of the Civil Service Board, any necess supplies of Stationery, to the extent of the appropriation made by Parliament, may be procured, and any necessary arrangements for Printing and Binding, and contracts for the same, respectively, may be entered into; and all Stationery so procured, shall be placed in the custody of such Officer or Clerk as may be directed, as hereinbefore mentioned.

Stationary Clerk to supply Stationery and cause work to be done; sending accouts monthly to Deputy Heads, who shall certify them if correct.

15. Such Officer or Clerk shall supply any articles of Stationery to, or cause to be performed for any Department of the Civil Service, such Printing or Binding, according to such regulations as may be approved by the Governor in Council as aforesaid, so often as such Officer or Clerk shall receive a Requisition therefor, signed by the Deputy Head of such Department, and he shall charge the quantity supplied, or the service so performed, and the value thereof, against such Department; and such Officer or Clerk shall furnish an account, monthly, of the same respectively, to each Deputy Head of a Department, accompanied by the several Requisitions in respect of the several articles or services mentioned in the said account, and such Deputy Head shall, if the same be found correct, certify to the correctness of such account, and return it to such Officer or Clerk.

And to render accounts monthly to the Auditor who shall take stock from time to time.

16. Such Officer or Clerk shall furnish a Statement, monthly, to the Auditor, with the accounts and vouchers therefor, of all Stationery purchased and of all articles supplied, or Printing and Binding performed for each Department, during the preceding month, certified by the Deputy Head thereof as correct, in the manner hereinbefore provided with respect to Contingencies; and the Auditor shall, quarterly, or more frequently, at his discretion, cause the stock of Stationery in store to be checked, with the quantities purchased and supplied.

Accounts to be laid before Parliament.

17. An account shall be laid before Parliament cach year, shewing the value of the stock of Stationery on hand at the begining of the year, the amount expended during the year for Stationery, Printing and Binding, the amounts charged against each Department, and the stock on hand at the end of the year, and also the amount expended under the several heads of service specified in the first section.

Act to apply to outside Service.

18. This Act shall apply as well to the Outside Service of the several Departments as to the Departments of the Civil Service at the Seat of Government.

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