H.—l4

1944 NEW ZEALAND

PUBLIC SERVICE COMMISSIONERS (THIRTY-SECOND REPORT OF THE)

Presented to both Houses of the General Assembly by Command of His Excellency

To His Excellency Sir Cyril Louis Norton Newa.ll, Marshal of the Royal Air Force, Knight Grand Cross of the Most Honourable Order of the Bath, Member of the Order of Merit, Knight Grand Cross of the Most Distinguished Order of St. Michael and St. George, Commander of the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire, Governor-General and Commander-in-Chief in and over His Majesty's Dominion of New Zealand and its Dependencies. May it please Youk Excellency,— As Commissioner and Assistant Commissioner under the Public Service Act, 1912, we have the honour to submit the following report as required by section 15 of the Public Service Act, 1912. 4

REPORT

As has been the oase over the past two years, this report is of necessity of the briefest nature possible Efficiency of the Public Service. —Section 15 of the Public Service Act, 1912, requires the Commissioner to report at least once annually on the efficiency of the Public Service. The task of maintaining the efficiency of the Public Service at its pre-war level has been a well-nigh impossible one. In some Departments of State up to 60 per cent, of the officers on the strength of the Department in 1939 have left the Department for war service of some kind. The work of the Department has been carried on by the appointment of whatever temporary staff has become available. To a great extent this labour has been provided by female office-assistants. The remaining pre-war staff has had to carry responsibility beyond what would normally be expected of its service and experience. The results, although admittedly not up to previous standards, speak very well for the calibre and the training of what remains of the normal pre-war establishment and the adaptability of the newly-appointed personnel. Much Work previously regarded as essential has of necessity been postponed until staff is again available. Within these limits it can be said that the efficiency of the Service has been maintained. Much criticism has appeared in the newspapers regarding absenteeism of wartime staff, particularly female workers. One of the larger Departments in Wellington recently took out figures regarding this matter. The figures relate to a period of six months and cover female staff only.

Reviewing the above figures, the percentage of absence of wartime employees is not considered to be unduly high when compared with the permanent establishment. It must not be overlooked that wartime appointees are invariably older, have family responsibilities, and in many cases are working under considerable strain owing to the absence of husbands overseas. Attention to children and other responsibilities of home life would account for the higher percentage under special leave. Temporary Employees. —With very few exceptions, staff appointed during the war to meet wartime conditions has been recruited on a temporary basis. Even prior to the war, however, there were many temporary employees in the Public Service. As at Ist April, 1939, there were 6,604 temporary employees (apart from workmen), as compared with 10,704 permanent employees. The large number of temporary employees was mainly due to the rapid expansion of the Public Service from 1935 onwards. New Departments were created (e.g., Broadcasting, Commercial Broadcasting, Marketing, and Social

Percentage of Staff absent Each Day. Nature of Leave. —— Other than Wartime Wartime Appointees. Appointees. Per Cent. Per Cent. Sick-leave .. .. 3-97 7-58 Special leave .. .. 1-00 1-73 Annual leave .. .. 3-65 3-70