8.—9

STAFF. 27. The following statement indicates the number of staff engaged in the work of the Department on the 31st March, 1921 and 1922, at the Head Office and at the District Offices : — Head Office. On 31st March, 1921. On 31st March, 1922. Male. Female. Total. Male. Female. Total. Permanent .. 152 61 213 Permanent . . 100 44 144 Temporary 27 9 36 Temporary . . 6 1 7 249 — 151 District Offices. On 31st March, 1921. On 3Ut March, 1922. Male Female-. Total. Male. Female. Total. Permanent . . 323 75 398 Permanent . . 318 77 395 Temporary .. 13 18 31 Temporary .. 1 10 11 - 429 - 406 (378 557 Pbinoipal Stafi' , Changes. 28. To fill the position vacated by Mr. J. W. Macdonald on his appointment as Public Trustee, Mr. E. 0. Hales, formerly District Public Trustee at Auckland, was appointed Assistant Public Trustee as from the 23rd February, 1922. Mr. Males acted as Deputy of the Assistant Public Trustee during the period 2nd September, 1921, to 22nd February, 1922, inclusive. Mr. R. F. Ward, Assistant District Public Trustee at Auckland, has been promoted to the position of District Public Trustee in succession to Mr. Hales. Mr. P. R. Winchcomb, District Public Trustee at Palmerston North, has been transferred to the position of Assistant Inspector, and Mr. A. S. Faire has been transferred from. Gisborne to take charge of the Palmerston North, office. The position at Gisborne has been filled by the appointment of Mr. K. A. Henderson, formerly of the Head Office staff. The death of Mr. P. A. Devereux, District Manager at Blenheim, on the Bth May, 1921, is recorded with regret. Roll of Honoub. 29. A bronze tablet has been erected in the vestibule of the Head Office building to perpetuate the memory of those officers of the Public Trust Office staff who lost their lives in the Great War. Reduction of Staff. 30. Considerable savings in staff have been effected during the year, as will be seen from the statement published above. During the year the total number of officers employed declined from 678 to 557, a reduction of 121, with annual salaries amounting to £40,842. The total number of temporary officers was reduced from sixty-seven to eighteen. With but a few exceptions, the temporary officers remaining on the staff of the Office are shorthand-typists. These savings have been made possible by an improvement in the calibre of the staff. The standard of work is now very high, as a result of the excellent type of officer which the Office has been able to secure, and of the measures which have been taken for the special training of junior officers. Wherever possible the Office processes have been simplified, and all unnecessary work has been eliminated. 31. It has been the object of the management of the Office to reduce staff changes to the lowest possible limit, both to save removal and travelling expenses and also to secure continuity in the administration of estates. As the organization of the staff consequent upon decentralization of the work has now been completed, greater stability in the staffing of the Office has been achieved, and this has reacted favourably on the work in many ways. Officers have been enabled to become

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