I—l 7

The following table, while not strictly comparable throughout at all periods, does give some idea of the growth of State employment over the past two decades : Table No. 117. —Table showing the Number of Employees of the Central Government at the Censuses 1921, 1926, and 1936, and an Estimate for the Employees at 1946 1921 .. .. .. .. 42,267 1926 .. .. .. .. 45,405 1936 .. .. .. .. 56,194 1946 .. .. .. .. 99,152 The very rapid increase in the number of public servants in the past decade is merely a reflex of the increased Government activity over the period. One has only to mention the inception of such Departments as the Social Security, Housing Construction, Hydroelectric Construction, Industries and Commerce (Ministry of Supply), and many others, including the Public Works Department, which will come easily to mind, to realize why the number of State employees has increased at such a rapid rate. Increased social services inevitably mean increased employees to administer those services. In view of the present shortage of staff, and possible further Government activity, there is little doubt that this number will increase in years to come. In the local government field there has also been a very considerable increase. Apart from employees of Hospital Boards, including nurses and other professional servants, the total number employed by local bodies at the last available date, the 31st March, 1943, was 30,381, to which must be added 12,096 employees of Hospital Boards, making a grand total of 42,477. This figure has also shown a considerable increase over the period, as will be seen from the following table :

Table No. 118.—Table showing the Number of Employees of Local Governing Bodies as at the various Censuses between 1921 and 1936, and also for 1943

Note. —-The figures 'for 1943 are constructed on an entirely different basis from those for the censuses, and hence must be used with very great caution. The very large increase in the number of employees of local bodies is due to some extent to the large increase in the staffs of hospitals and related institutions. No adequate figures are available to show the exact extent of the increase, but in passing it can be pointed out that, according to the census of 1936, there were nearly 6,000 employees of public hospitals, including Government hospitals, but not including mental hospitals. Although the figure has now risen to approximately 12,000, this includes elements not included in the census figures, and it would therefore probably be safe to say that the hospital staffs have increased by at least 50 per cent, during the period 1936 to 1942. In 1945 approximately 13*6 per cent, of the occupied population were employed by the central Government, and s*B per cent, by the local governing authorities of the Dominion. The total employees of both central Government and local bodies amounted to approximately 19 per cent, of the total occupied population, as compared with 15-2 per cent in 1936.

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Year. Males. Females. Total. 1921 17,867 8,572 26,439 1926 25,301 10,169 35,470 1936 26,829 10,726 37,555 1943 (Not available) 42,477