C—3

A radio-telephone installation was completed in the Canterbury Conservancy at. Ashley, the control station for that conservancy, the equipment comprising a 45-watt dual-frequency transmitter and associated receiver. The total number of transmitters, in use in fixed locations is now 27, as follows : Auckland .. ~ .. 8 Rotorua .. .. .. .. ■ ■ .. 16 Canterbury .. .. .. .. ... 1 Southland .. .. .. .. .. 2 Installations have also been made in a mobile fire-fighting headquarters vehicle, thefire control officer's light truck at Kaingaroa, and the Head Office inspection vehicle. In addition transportable equipment is available in Auckland and Rotorua for use in the field. Extensions to existing installations are being carried out in the Auckland, Canterbury,, and Southland Conservancies, and work is proceeding also in Wellington and Nelson Conservancies. Another mobile fire-fighting headquarters vehicle which has been delivered to Kaingaroa is being fitted with radio. Transportable equipment is being prepared for use where required. For the forest fire hazard prediction service, data are sent from the control stations of the Auckland, Rotorua, and Canterbury Conservancies to the Post and Telegraph receiving-station at Makara, Wellington, by radio telephone, and thence by line telephone to Head Office. In this way information from remote areas is received for analysis within an hour of the readings being taken, and the extension of the system to other conservancies is in hand. 5. Water-supplies. —The continuing shortage of steel and cement has restricted progress in the provision of static water-supplies at strategic points for fire-fighting. A 5,000-gallon concrete tank with a catchment apron was constructed on Ashley Forest.. On Golden Downs Forest the construction of rain-storing reservoirs is proving a simple matter. They are simply dozed out anywhere on the ridge tops where there is a sufficient catchment area, the hard compacted subsoil in the ridge tops of the Moutere hills, being apparently impervious to water. Such reservoirs hold water during the hot dry summer characteristic of this district with little more than evaporation loss. CHAPTER VIII—OPERATIONS DIVISION Inspector in Charge : Mr. W. J. C. Kinloch Organization and Staff (1) Organization. —No major changes have been made in the Departmental organization during the year, the endeavour being to consolidate changes made in previous years and to develop suitable new officers for the key positions or as understudies to the key officers. (2) Staff. —In common with other organizations, major difficulties are being experienced in securing suitable staff to maintain essential servicing. In any expanding Department this difficulty becomes of major concern, and within the Forest Service applies particularly to the Clerical Division. Trained clerical officers in all grades are simply not available, and the only effective remedy is more intensive training from within —i.e., by short courses and by " on the job " instruction. The permanent staff now totals 737 and temporary staff 20, making a total of 757, which is a net increase of 133 over last year's figure. New appointees totalled 212, but there were 79 resignations and transfers ; new appointees include 17 technical trainees. who have .commenced practical and theoretical training as future forest officers. Fourteen officers are on leave without pay, of whom 9 are taking a full-time course of study at the University.

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