Ferdinand von Mueller

South-Yarra,

1

Melbourne.

8/3/95.

Charles Topp Esqr M.A. &c

Under Secretary.

Sir

In accordance with the request of your letter of yesterday,

2

See C. Topp to M, 7 March 1895 (in this edition as 95-03-07a).

received this day, I have the honor to state, that on the 28 Jan. I received only a telephonic request from the public Service Board to instruct Mess. Minchin and French to report themselves to the Secretary of the Board for temporary transfer to the Department of Agriculture. This order was acted on at once, and arrangements were made for these two officers to commence their duties under Mr Martin on the 30 Jan. Not receiving a direct communication from the hon. the Chief Secretary's office I ventured at the time of the temporary transfer of the two Officers to write a letter to the Secretary of the Civil Service Board, explanatory of the position of Mess. Minchin and French

3

Charles H. French.

here, to which communication a copy enclosed

4

See M to F. Reddin, 28 January 1895.

on the 30. Jan. I received the byefollowing reply

5

See F. Reddin to M, 30 January 1895.

I hope not to have acted wrongly in this, as I stated that I did not wish for a moment to interfere in the new arrangement. Indeed, as I have incidentally learnt, that at the end of the finance-year, when the extra-work in the Agriculture-Department for these two officers will have ceased, other employment was awaiting them in an other Department, I will arrange the work here so as to do without their services, when as I suppose their names would not reappear on the estimates of the Gov. Botanists branch for the next finance-year. If I have in this case unintentionally taken an incorrect course, I shall be sorry to have erred.

6

On 14 March the correspondence was passed on to Topp. A further minute adds: 'I have failed in finding a precedent for this case' (B95/759, unit 830, VPRS 3992/P, Public Record Office, Victoria). The next day, Topp minuted: 'Write to the P. S. B. [Public Service Board] that I have been informed by the Govt Botanist that at the end of January he received instructions (by telephone) from them to transfer two excess officers (Messrs Minchin and French) in his branch to the Department of Agriculture and that in accordance with these instructions these officers are now engaged in that Department. Say that I presume these directions were given to the Govt Botanist by some inadvertence as I suppose the Board recognise that where they consider in the interests of the service that any officers should be temproarily transferred frome one Department to another the Perm[anent] Head of the Department whose officers are to be transferred should be communicated with & requested to give effect to the proposal. I shall now be glad to learn what period Messrs Minchin's and French's services are likely to be required by the Department of Agriculture.' A letter to this effect was sent on 18 March.

Reddin replied on 25 March, pointing out that the names of Minchin and French 'were furnished by your Department as of officers in excess, … and they were, therefore, available for transfer at any time. The services of the officers in question will be required by the Department of Agriculture until about the end of May.' (B95/2592, unit 830, VPRS 2992/P, Public Record Office, Victoria).