In August 1879, a Report into the Civil Service in Western Australia was handed down. The main recommendations related to the Telegraph Branch were:
Resolution l. Praying that His Excellency will be pleased to place on the Estimates such additional sums as may be deemed advisable to increase the salaries of the Officers of the Postal and Telegraph Department. The Committee having enquired fully into the working of the Postal and Telegraph Department, and being satisfied that many of the Clerks, District Postmasters and Telegraphic Operators are insufficiently paid for the important and responsible duties they are called upon to perform, and moreover that they are frequently required to discharge extra duties out of the regular office hours for which they received no additional remuneration, beg to recommend, for the favorable consideration of His Excellency the Governor the several increases of salary shown in tabular statement herewith, marked A.
As regards the increase of salary recommended for the Postmaster General, the Committee would beg to state, for the information of His Excellency, that it was resolved upon by the majority of the members in the absence of, and without the knowledge of, the Postmaster General and that such increase of salary is recommended in consideration of the very large amount of additional work and responsibility entailed upon that officer, owing to the great extension of the Postal and Telegraph Department throughout the Colony necessitating a considerable amount of clerical work, all of which the Board find is discharged by the Postmaster General, thus taking up much valuable time, but if otherwise performed, would necessitate the cost of an additional clerk ...
Postmasters at Fremantle and Albany. Looking to the long and faithful service of these officers and the onerous and responsible nature of their duties, the Committee is of opinion that the increases recommended to them are well deserved. While in regard to the various other additions of salaries recommended, the Committee has no special grounds to urge in support thereof, it is of opinion that at as many of the Clerks, District Postmasters, Telegraphists, Letter Carriers and Telegraph Messengers are in receipt of less wages than they could obtain outside the Public Service and also in view of the important and trustworthy nature of the duties they are called upon to perform, also that their whole time is at the service of the public, it is desirable that their salaries should be made commensurate with the duties they have to perform and thus ensure a faithful and zealous discharge thereof.
The Committee is also of opinion that, as in many of the Rural Districts, the duties of Postmaster and Telegraphist devolve upon, and are discharged by, one and the same person, in order to enable such persons to proceed on leave of absence from time to time without loss of pay, that a sum of fifty pounds should be placed on the Estimates to cover the cost of despatching some person to take temporary charge during the absence of such Postmasters.