Series consists of numbered correspondence from the Chief Post Office Inspector, generally addressed to the Postmaster General. The correspondence for the years 1875-1898 consists of reports and additional explanations on individual appointments, sites for post offices, hand-sketched maps, community petitions, the establishment of routes and the carrying out of instructions (Vols. 596-616). There are also five volumes of draft letters for the years 1870-1875 (Vols. 585-589). Volume 616 is a register of the correspondence for the years 1870-1880.
Also included are letterbooks of general correspondence for the years 1876-1888 from the Chief Postal Inspector, acknowledging correspondence from the Deputy Postmaster General and from various postmasters as well as instructions to postmasters on the operational activities of the Post Office (Vols. 590-595).
Canada. Chief Post Office Inspector : The Office of the Chief Postal Inspector was created in 1870. The Chief Post Office Inspector was based in Ottawa, reported to the Deputy, and had authority over all of the Inspectors and their districts. He was "responsible for investigating questionable conduct of an Inspector or City Postmaster; promoting conformity in the methodology used by the Inspectors and their staff; travelling throughout the country to ensure that proper methods are being followed in the Inspectors' offices." John Dewe, formerly the Divisional Inspector for Toronto, was appointed the first Chief Postal Inspector. Second Report of the Civil Service Commission. Ottawa, 1869, p. 19-20; PAC, RG 2(1), Vol. 24, PC 1510, May 25, 1870; Canada Post Office: An Organizational History, 1841-1974, p. 28.
