21

1.—14,

V. HEYES.

16. And you would require more than that number with a view to future contingencies?— Yes. At present I am unable to separate my lady clerks and typists. 1 have something like eleven or twelve young Jadies crowded in with a number of men in one office, and I am unable to get a separate office to deal with the correspondence, which is very inconvenient. The whole of my correspondence has to be done in one room, open to all the clerks, many only temporary, which is not as it should be. If more suitably arranged, about the same number of rooms would suffice. 17. And how many employees are there in the Department?—We have about 145 in all. 18. And the number will increase? —Yes. Extension is going on, and in the near future, in connection with the subdivision of Maori lands, by which the Maoris come into occupation, a rapid? increase will take place in the office-work, and also in the Advances to Settlers work. The Maoris are beginning to come in with many applications for loans. Both the Advances work and the Tax work must rapidly increase within the next few years—fully 50 per cent. —owing to extensive subdivisions now going on as the result of the graduated tax. 19. Then, you actually want now more accommodation than you have in one building?—l ought to have room for another fifty men more than I have now. 20. And there is no possibility of further accommodation in the present building?— No. I have made the greatest efforts to have my typists separated from the large office where all the men are, but I have not been able to secure any room. 21. Then, to give you the accommodation you require, there would need to be either an extension of the Government Buildings or another building erected elsewhere?— Yes. 22. Eight Hon. Sir J. G. Ward.] That is, apart from the number of men in Butler's building?— Yes, there are twenty men-there. 23. Is it convenient in an important Department like yours to have your staff divided? —No, it is most inconvenient, and it is not conducive to efficiency, but the reverse; in fact, the work is now done under the worst possible conditions. 24. In the matter of routine business, does it not mean the transfer of files and documents daily? —Yes, large numbers are being transferred, and two or three have run astray. Moreover, the division of the work makes it very difficult to get through; several cadets are entirely employed carrying heavy loads of files and records from room to room. The clerks are constantly referring, and, although I have a direct wire from Butler's building to my own office, still, speaking over the telephone is most unsatisfactory. There are often references to confidential letters, and it is most inconvenient and dangerous. Records and files are being constantly passed backwards and forwards in large numbers from room to room and from Butler's buildings to the Government Buildings, instead of all the clerks being in one room for easy reference. Much time is lost in going backwards and forwards. 25. That means more difficulty in supervision, of course?— Yes; it is most harassing. 26. And during your time as head of the Department there has been expansion of the business and an increase in the number of the employees?— Yes, very great expansion. 27. And, as far as you can judge, that would go on?— Yes, more so in the next two or three years than in the past, owing to very large developments taking place. 28. Has that portion of the building which you are in been healthy? —No, but the reverse. 1 have had strong objections and appeals from the men over and over again about the distressing conditions under which they have to work, and until we had the last alterations made and some extension it was really most painful. Last summer I felt sick just in walking through the office as the vitiated atmosphere was so thick. The state of tilings was taken up and condemned in the newspapers. 29. So that from the standpoint of the convenience of working the Department, and from the health of the staff, it would be better to have practically a separate detached building for the Land and Income Tax Department?— Yes, I think so. This was pressed on the Government years ago, and for safety of the records, &c. ■ 30. Mr. It. MeKen-ie.] Will the new Public Trust Office relieve the pressure on the Government offices to any extent? —There is room for the Native Department there, I believe, for a time, but it will soon be required exclusively for the Public Trust Office, and then I would possibly be able to get a fair amount of space for my men ; but the light is very bad at the back of the building, and it is very damp, and it would still leave the difficulty of the staff being divided into separate rooms instead of being all together to facilitate easy reference. The present building is very unsuitable in this respect. 31. Do you think it is preferable to have all the Government Departments in one building, or in separate buildings?—l think, as far as possible, some of them should be kept together; but there are some, like the Customs and Railways and Post Office, which are better separate, convenient to the place of their operations : they are great Departments in themselves, but most of the other Departments are dependent on one another, such as my Departments—the Advances and Land and Income Tax, the Treasury, Valuation, Stamps, and the Lands—all those should be kept together, or as near as possible. There is continual reference from one to the other, and if T wish to see Mr. Kensington, which I very often have to do, I have to climb to the top of the building. Charles Wu,son examined. (No. B.j 1. The Chairman.] What is your position?— Parliamentary Librarian. 2. You are asked to attend the Committee for the purpose of advising the Committee whether the accommodation at present available for the library is sufficient and satisfactory ?—I have been long of opinion that it is not sufficient. In fact, as years go on, the incompleteness of the library is proving a very serious drawback, not only as far as the staff is concerned, but more particularly in regard to the inconvenience to members. It is now nearly eight years ago since I took charge, and the yearly additions to the library during .that time have steadily increased, until now the