C—3

14. Casual Staff. —Average for year, 1,675 (1,513). The number employed at 31st March, 1948, was 1,730 —i.e., 99 above the figure twelve months previously. Additions to and deletions from the numbers of casual staff are unduly high, and until the policy of creating permanent forest settlements at each forest is fully implemented, the attraction of seasonal work with higher earnings will be difficult to counter. 15. Honorary Staff. —By section 18 of the Statutes Amendment Act, 1947, which amends section 10 of the forests Act, 1921-22, all existing appointments of honorary forest rangers lapsed on 31st March, 1948. All new appointments made under this section will be made for a term not exceeding three years as the Minister thinks fit, and appointees shall hold office only in respect of an area to be determined by the Minister. The nature of the functions and duties may be defined by the Conservator of Forests for the conservancy concerned in each appointment. No one appointed under this section shall be considered by virtue of such an appointment to be an employee of the Crown or an officer of the State Forest Service, and nothing in the Public Service Act, 1912, shall apply to any such appointment. The power conferred on the Minister by section 10 of the principal Act, as amended by section 18 above, is extended to authorize the Minister to appoint persons who are not officers of the State Forest Service to act in a part-time capacity as honorary forest officers for particular purposes. Their functions and duties shall be such as are from time to time determined by the Minister. 16. Health of Staff. —Office accommodation is an adverse factor as far as health of staff is concerned. The increase in staff over recent years has crowded out offices at almost every main centre to such an extent that employees cannot possibly function with maximum efficiency. Every effort is being made to secure better accommodation, either by temporary buildings or new allocations of space, in order to relieve the congestion. Shortage of field officers on exotic forests continues to preclude the granting of leave facilities at the best times of the year and demands correction as rapidly as practicable. A similar shortage of staff on indigenous cruising work continues to involve many officers in an excess of winter field work. 17. Safety of Employees.—Total accidents, 421 (382), made up as follows : cuts, 148 (96); strains, 85 (96); fractures, 18 (11); crushes and bruises, 83 (95); septic wounds, 36 (37); eye injuries, 17 (20); miscellaneous, 34 (27). No fatal accident occurred this year. The increase in accidents can be accounted for by the increased number of men employed during the year. 18. Compensation to Employees :

19. Recruitment and Training Policy. —Due emphasis was made in the last annual report to delayed staff reorganization and the post-war development of work on a divisional basis put into operation simultaneously with a vigorous staff recruitment and training policy. The initial implementation of the long-term staffing plan was not free from difficulties and even sacrifices of immediate administrative efficiency ; current

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Year. Total Payments. Total Wages. Compensation per Centum of Wages (Approximately). 1946-47 1947-48 £ 8,708 6,232 £ 497,615 629,948 £ s. d. 1 15 0 0 19 10