مجموعة رقم ١/ ٤٣ "عدن. تغييرات بالإدارة المدنية في حالة الانفصال عن الهند: خدمات مكتب البريد والهاتف" [و‎‎٤‎٢] (١٨٤/٨٣)

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the Postmaster General, Bombay, who s ends to Aden a Postmaster
and an Officer in charge of Telephones. Neither of these
officials is in any way subordinate to the other; their work
is conducted independently of each other in Aden, although
they are both under the same control in India. After the
transfer it would probably be necessary that both Posts and
Telephones should be placed under the combined control of an
officer responsible to the new Government, and that there
should therefore be an Officer in charge of Aden Posts and
Telephones. I suggest that this officer be obtained on
deputation from the Government of India, unless the Colonial
Office can supply him. A tentative provision for the cost
of his appointment has been made in the Draft Estimates.
An alternative that has been suggested to me is
that the Indian Posts and Telegraphs Department should
continue to work the Aden Post Offices and Telephones for a
few years after the transfer, as I understand was done in
the case of the Iraq Post Offices. If the administration of
the Postal and Telephone Departments is taken over by the new
Aden Goveriment it is probable that additional s taff will be
necessaiy in the Post Office for maintaining Exchange accounts
and in the Telephone Department for billing and accounting,
work which at present is done in Bombay; and with the
appointment of a Director of Posts and Telephones it will
still be necessary to have two subordinate officers in
separate charge of each of the departments under the Director.
The retention of control by the Indian Posts and Telegraphs
Department would obviate the necessity for additional
expenditure of this nature. I do not, however, know whether
the Indian Department would be prepared to manage the Aden
Post Offices and Telephones on behalf of the Aden Government,
or, if so, on what terms they would be willing to do so. I
suggest, however, that this possibility be examined by the
Colonial Office, and that, if there is no objection to it in
principle, it should be discussed with the Government of
India.