H.—l4.

The following words, quoted in a previous report of the Public Service Commissioners, are again cited as instancing the diversified nature of the duties of Government Departments : — Prom being concerned with a limited number of specific functions such as defence, tax-gathering, and the administration of justice, the functions of the Public Service have been extended to cover the protection of the life and health of the industrial workers, public health, and the housing of the people, education, child-welfare, the minimizing of social conflict, the salvaging of the derelicts of society, the transfer and exchange of labour, the promotion of trade, the aiding of commerce and scientific research, the " numbering of the people," the development of afforestation and agriculture, the organization of transport, and a score of others. From being a thing more or less alien to the life of the average citizen it has become a thing that touches every member of the community, both in his public and private life. The great expansion that has taken place in the functions of Government over past years and the ever-increasing demand for extension of social services can be met only by increasing the number of public servants. Reduction can take place only by a curtailment of these services, and any such action must of necessity be political. Entrance to the Public Service. The majority of recruits to the Service enter as cadets in the Professional and Clerical Divisions. They come equipped, in the main, with the University Entrance Examination or higher qualification and are selected in order of merit on the pass-list of each examination, the highest grade examination list being exhausted before commencing on the next examination list. Last year the qualifications of the entrants were : — " Portion of degree or professional examination . . . . 51 University Scholarship (credit) . . . . . . . . 2 Higher Leaving Certificate . . . . . . 52 University Entrance . . . . . . . . .. 493 School Certificate Examination . . .. .. 40 Total . . . . . . . . . . 638 The total number is the highest in the history of the Public Service. This is a consequence of two chief factors. The first is illustrated in the following table of new appointments to cadetships : — For year ended — 31st March, 1920 . . . . . . . . . . 318 31st March, 1921 . . . . . . . . . . 326 31st March, 1922 . . . . . . . . . . 170 31st March, 1923 . . .. .. ... ..174 31st March, 1924 . . . . .. .. . . 336 31st March, 1925 . . . . .. . . . . 357 31st March, 1926 . . . . .. ... .. 338 31st March, 1927 .. .. .. . . .. 218 31st March, 1928 .. .. .. .. .. 167 31st March, 1929 . . .. . . .. .. 257 31st March, 1930 . . .. .. .. ..256 *31st March, 1931 . . . . . . . . 92 *31st December, 1931 . . .. . . 35 31st December, 1932 . . . . .. . . 3 31st December, 1933 . . . . . . . . 146 31st December, 1934 .. .. .. . . 207 31st December, 1935 .. ...... .. .. 359 31st December, 1936 .. . . .. 580 31st December, 1937 .. .. . ... .. 638 Ist January, 1938, to 31st March, 1938 .. .. 248 This table shows that for four years (1930 to 1934) recruitment virtually ceased one year and in the other years was considerably below- the average needs to maintain the personnel at full strength. This starvation was' only a postponement

* At this point returns were altered to cover a calendar year period as stowing more accurately the true annual recruitment.

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