H.—l4

100

There xvill be a material increase in the number of transactions for the coming year, and the services of another operator may become necessary. Her salary, however, will be much less than the amount that would have to be paid to additional cadets, which would be necessary in dealing with the xvork under the old system. A comparative return of the cost of overtime worked l>\ the Head Office during the years ended the 30th April, 1913 and 1914, these dates being taken to include the annual balance for each year, shows that the net saving effected in the amount of overtime for one half-year is .£79. Under the present staff conditions the annual saving may therefore lie safely estimated at £15(1 a year. This decrease is due to the new system of cheeking the ledgers by the use of machines. The new system of preparing the classification-book ami cash-book by machine process is working satisfactorily. The work is better done and more expeditiously. The saving effected is estimated at, say, £100 a year. • Public Works Department. One combined typing anil adding machine has just been installed in the Accountant's office. As to the new forms of registers of expenditure, liabilities, 4c, I have to advise you that the Accountant reports as follows: ''The new arrangement. was brought into operation on the Ist April last. In respect to the registration of vouchers, one officer (female), with very little assistance, now records all the necessary information, whereas under the old system, xvith the assistance of another officer at a salary of £115, the work could not be got up to date. A further saving of at least £30 per annum is effected on the manufacture of registers." The Accountant is certain that, even apart from the amount of money saved, the work is quite as efficiently done at present as it was hitherto, and the officers who are carrying out the work appear to be well pleased with the change. Individual reports have been called for from I lie officers concerned, and the opinions expresed go to show that the card system is a decided improvement. Registrar-General's Office. The following machines have been introduced to this office : One computing-machine, one adding and listing machine, and one adding non-listing machine. The computing-machine has been used in xvorking out percentages, allocations, averages, &c, required in the compilation of the Statistics and Year-book, and the construction of mortality tables from the census results. The adding and listing machine has been employed in the additions of various statistical tables with large money-columns, particularly re local bodies and building societies, but more advantage could have been taken of it had a competent machinist been available on the staff. The adding non-listing machine was little used except in the compilation of the agricultural statistics, owing to the want of a competent operator. I estimate that by using the computing and the adding and listing machines the office has been able to extend and improve the statistics in several directions without increasing the staff. Without these machines the new xvork undertaken could not have been done without the addition of a junior clerk to the staff. The adding non-listing machine (with another borrowed from the Marine Department) enabled the agricultural statistics to be compiled for £7 .'is. Od., as against £41 10s. last year. For the year 1911-15 considerable additional work is being undertaken by the office —the construction of price index-numbers from returns now being collected, and the reorganization of the agricultural and pastoral statistics. In regard to both of these, it is proposed to utilize extensively all three machines, provided a competent operator is available. The additional work xvhich it is anticipated can be overtaken by the machines would require two more clerks if (he machines were not available. p Stajii' Department. Four book-typing and adding machines are used lor recording deeds in Register-books. One typewriter is used for recording deeds per medium of loose leaf registers. The economy effected by the use of these machines is the difference between the salaries paid to the operators, ranging from £78 to £160, totalling £998, and the amount that would be payable to recortlers for the same quantity of work—viz., £1,390 17s. Id.—a saving of £.'!!)!' 17s. Id., plus ordinary typexvriting duties xvhich are not accounted for in the returns from which the foregoing figures are compiled. The economy expected to be effected during the current year is estimated at. say. £400, plus about £100 on each new machine installed, the need for xvhich exists at Christchurch and Auckland. They will be installed xvhen accommodation permits. State Fire Insurance Department. One typewriter and one day-book attachment are used largely, but not altogether, in connection with the multiple system as applied to renexval notices; and one cyclostyle for the writing of circulars generally. The introduction of the above machines and methods has resulted in a saving of, say, £50 up to 31/3/14. The estimated economy resulting from the use of these machines is likely to amount to, say, £150 during the current year.