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-directly connected with the war, the increase in commerce and finance is indicative of the trends during the period —namely, to replace males as far as possible by females. Large numbers of women, including married women, who prior to the war were engaged in domestic duties, during this period came out of their homes to fill places left vacant by males engaged in war service. In many offices there was a very large increase in the female staff, and, even making allowances for the difference in comparability of these figures, there is little doubt that the increase in females engaged in office work was very great. While a large number of these women will ultimately drift from this particular industry when the men return, the experience during and subsequent to the 1914-18 war would suggest that this tendency for females to be employed in office and related work will continue, and there is little doubt that the figure will not fall as low as previously. For comparative purposes the following table reduces the crude figures to index numbers :

Table No. 107. —Table showing Index Numbers of Persons engaged in Commerce and Finance, from 1901 to 1945

A careful study of these figures, when compared with the figures for total population and total occupied population, shows that the rate of growth of those occupied in the field of commerce and finance has been very much greater than the rate of growth of the total population or of the rate of growth of the occupied population. This again merely enforces the comment made above that modern society demands a considerably increased number of persons engaged in these fields in order to counteract the growing economic distance which is emerging between the producer and the consumer. C. PUBLIC ADMINISTRATION AND PROFESSIONAL The next census heading of those engaged or gainfully occupied is " Public Administration and Professional." It must be pointed out right at the commencement that this category is entirely different from those discussed in the chapter dealing with ■Government employees. As pointed out there, many Government employees are engaged in various phases of production, including primary production, secondary industries, and commerce and finance. Under this particular heading are included those engaged in general Government administration, local government administration, defence, the maintenance of law and order, religion and social welfare work, public health (including medical practitioners, dental practitioners, and the like), education (including private schools), entertainment, and generally in the professions such as public accountancy, architecture, music, and secretarial work. The heading can be, in very general terms, stated to include most of those engaged in professional services to the community, as opposed to those engaged in such physical work as transport and commerce and finance.

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(1901 = 1000) Year. Males. Females. Total. 1901 1000 1000 1000 1906 1285 1603 1324 1911 .. 1569 2311 1720 1916 1466 3011 1679 1921 1672 3690 1949 1926 1838 3490 2065 1936 2167 4305 2460 1945 1200 7521 2069