H—ll

(2) Tlie staff of hostels and camps shows no significant increase. Towards the end of the year decentralization from Head Office to district offices of hostel accounting was completed, and the former now maintains only a general control of these operations through control accounts in Head Office and visits by inspecting officers. During the year practically all supervisory positions in hostels and camps, previously filled by temporary officers, were made permanent in accordance with the general Public Service policy. (3) A new development was the formation of an Organization and Methods Committee in Head Office. Its functions are to review the procedure, systems, and clerical machinery of the Department and generally to foster the development of the most efficient methods and the deletion or prevention of unfruitful routine. A number of very useful suggestions has been received from the staff for the saving of labour or the more efficient performance of work, and the Committee of its own volition has been able to effect a number of worthwhile improvements. (4) The following tables analyse the staff employed at the date of this report: —

Location of Staff Employed as at 31st March, 1949

Group Analysis of Staff Employed as at 31st March, 1949

53

1 Total, Total, 1 Males. Females. 31st March, 31st March,. 1949. 1948. Head Office 95 44 139 138 District offices 423 146 569 542 Secondments to London 10 1 11 10 London staff recruited in Great Britain 7 27 34 30 Courts and Tribunals 5 3 8 10 Camps and hostels, including domestic staff (but 55 84 139 137 excluding caterers' staffs and staffs of hostels operated by Y.W.C.A.) Home Aids 55 55 60 Totals 595 360 955 927

Total, Total, Nature of Work. Males. Females. 31st March, 31st March, 1949. 1948. Inspectors of Factories 120 7 127* 105* Inspectors of Weights and Measures 23 23* 20* Inspectors of Scaffolding 12 12* 8* Fair rents 14 2 16* 16* Apprenticeship .. .. 18 18* 16* Surveys, statistics, monthly and other returns 24 6 30* 35* Research, library, and investigation 13 3 16 13 Accounts and stores 53 10 63* 61* Shorthand-typists 1 93 94 98 Records 30 26 56* 60* Immigration— Total, London staff 17 28 45 40 Total, New Zealand staff 19 2 21 18 Home Aids 55 55 60 HostelsSupervisory 16 19 35 31 Domestic, cooking, and cleaning 39 65 104 106 Administrative, supervisory, and general clerical, 196 44 240 240 including placement and employment staff Totals 595 360 955 927 * Includes only officers engaged substantially full time on these duties.