IMPORTANT POSTS

Evening Post, Volume CVIII, Issue 151, 23 December 1929, Page 12

IMPORTANT POSTS

GOVERNMENT OFFICES

PROMOTIONS ANNOUNCED

MESSES, G. W. CLINKAED

AND L. G. SCHMITT

Two ex-officers of the Department of Industries and Commerce who were promoted early this year to responsible positions in other fields of activity have now been elevated to still more responsible offices. ■

The Public Service Commissioner notified to-day that it has been decided to appoint Mr. G. \V. Clinkard, M.Com., to the position o.E Permanent Head of the combined Departments of Tourist, Publicity, and Industries and Commerce. Mr. Clinkard, who is at present acting as Secretary to tho Administration in Samoa, was previously employed as Advisory Officer in tho Industries and Commerce Department, and is well known to the commercial interests of the Dominion.

The appointment of a special representative in Australia, in accordance with the reorganisation as outlined by the Right Hon. the Prime Minister last week, has also been decided; Mr. L. J. Sehmitt, at present employers' representative on the Arbitration Court, and lately advisory accountant in the Department of Industries and Commerce, has been selected for this position.

Mr. Clinkard, who is a son of Mr. C. H. Clinkard, M.P. for Rotorua, matriculated from tho Auckland Grammar School, and entered the Public Service in 1909. He served in the Inspection of Machinery and Land and Income Tax Department before resigning in 1914 to accept the position of assistant secretary to the New Zealand Employers' Federation. After service in the Expeditionary Force in Egypt and Gallipoli, he was invalided as the result of wounds, and in 1917 he entered the Public Service as compiler in charge of a branch of the Census and Statistics Office. In 1920 he was appointed as ad- j visory accountant to the Board of Trade, and for the past five years has acted as advisory officer to the Department of Industries and Commerce. During the course of his work Mr. Clinkard has undertaken many important inquiries and investigations, and during the absence of the secretary has been in control of the Department. In 1925 Mr. Clinkard visited several States of the Commonwealth on official business connected with the work of his Department, and in 1927 was appointed a member of the Royal Commission set up to inquire into and make recommendations upon the revision of the Customs tariff of the Dominion. Mr. Clinkard has taken a prominent part in the affairs of the Returned Soldiers' Association, and was for several years a member of the Dominion Executive Committee of the association. As the nominee of the association lie acted for a number or" years as a member of the Wellington District Repatriation Board. Iv 1918 he graduated from Victoria College as Bachelor of-Commerce, and two years later qualified for and was awarded tho degree of Master of Commerce, with honours in economics. Mr. Clikard has passed the professional accountants' examination and is a Fellow of the Eoyal Economic Society. He was appointed Secretary to the Administration of Western Samoa in February last, in succession to Coloj.el Hutchin. his term of office being two years.

Mr. Sehmitt wns born in Melbourne

(Viotoria) in ISSS, and arrived in New Zealand about 19 years ago. His father was born in Ballarat

(Victoria), and his mother in Liverpool (England). In 1902 Mr. Sehmitt matriculated at the Melbourne University, and later passed the examination in accountancy of the Victorian Insti-

tute. He is a Fellow of the Australasion Cost Accountants, New Zealand Division, and a member of the Economic Society of New Zealand and Australia. Mr. Sehmitt's experience includes tho commercial duties of buyer, lndentor, stores controller, transport officer, timekeeper, paymaster, investigating and advisory accountant, instructor in commercial subjects, and company secretary. He has been associated with the following interests: Victorian Eailways (Melbourne), the Great Fitzroy Copper Mines, Ltd. the Blackwater Mines, Ltd. (New Zealand), the -Consolidated Goldfields of New Zealand, Ltd. (New Zealand), the Nelson Education Board

(New Zealand), New Zealand Government Department of Industries and Commerce. While associated with the silver, lead, zinc, copper, ironstone,

limestone, and gold mine undertakings, Mr. Sehmitt gained experience in practically all the commercial branches of

6he mining industry, and also in all the associated industries, such as construe-

tion, sawmilling, engineering, transport, etc. During the nine years lie was connected with the Department of Industries and Commerce (Board of Trade) in New Zealand, Mr. Schmitt's duties as investigating officer and advisory accountant enabled him to gain an intimate knowledge of the manufacturing and extractive industries, and the pastoral, agricultural, and horticultural industries of the Dominion. His association with chambers of commerce, manufacturers' associations, ' special Government committees, etc., and various organisations controlling exhibitions of New Zealand products has given him a wide national commercial knowledge. From time to time he has carried out special commercial and othej? inquiries for the Customs, Public Service Commissioner, and Scientific and Industrial Research Department, and in 1927 he officially accompanied the Minister of Industries and Commerce on his tour to Australia. Mr. Sehmitt also worked up several cases for counsel in connection with the Commercial Trusts Act and the Board of Trade Act, and prepared quarterly for the Government a brief economic report dealing with the financial, industrial, and commercial position of the Dominion. During his engagement with the Department of Industries and Commerce, Mr. Sehmitt, in addition to ordinary routine duties, occupied the special positions of Secretary of Che Wellington Price Investigation Tribunal (cost of living), officer in charge of the Department in Christehurch, investigating Accountant Board of Trade, secretary to the Advisory Council, New Zealand, Wembley Exhibition, deputyGovernment Commissioner, New Zealand and South Seas Exhibition (Dunedin). He was the only nominee for the position of employers' representative on the Arbitration Court, after the ro.tire-

ment of Mr. W. Scott, and lias been a member of the Court since early this year.