H—l9

Nominal Roll of Embarkations. —The printing of this roll has been completed up to Volume 13, covering embarkations to the 31st March, 1944. The fourteenth roll (embarkations to the 31st December, 1944) is in the hands of the printer, and the fifteenth and final roll, showing embarkations during 1945, is ready for printing. New Zealand War Deaths Register. —It was recommended by the Principal Administrative Officer's (Personnel) Committee that there should be published a register containing particulars of all members of the New Zealand Armed Forces who lost their lives while serving during the war period 3rd September, 1939, to 2nd September, 1945. It was arranged that the War Histories Branch, Department of Internal Affairs, would publish the register and that Base Records would be responsible for preparing the Army list and correlating the lists to be prepared by the other Services. The Army register is complete, and those of the Navy and Merchant Navy have been received. The Air Force list is now awaited, and upon receipt the completed register will be handed over to War Histories Branch for publication. New Zealand Memorial Cross.—All claims received for the Memorial Cross have been •dealt with and over 12,000 Crosses have been engraved and distributed. By arrangement with War Pensions, where an ex-serviceman dies and his death is attributable to his overseas war service Base Records receives notification. The next-of-kin is then advised of the eligibility of the widow and mother to claim the Cross if they so desire. Memorial Scroll.—The printing of the Memorial Scrolls is about half-completed, and the Government Printer is continuing with this work as rapidly as available staff and machinery will allow. Scrolls in respect of Navy and Merchant Navy personnel have already been completed. As the Scrolls are received from the Printing Office they are being prepared for despatch, but will not be released until the printing is finished. Campaign Stars and Medals. —Supplies of all stars and medals, with the exception of the New Zealand War Service Medal, are now to hand from the United Kingdom. Arrangements have already been made with the Post and Telegraph Department to have application forms made available at all post-offices. Proofs of the necessary forms have been prepared, and these will be printed and distributed when the Service Departments are ready to commence issuing the medals. General.—Coincident with the diminishing activities of both the Pay and Records Branches of Base Records organization, staff has been released to other branches of the Army Department and to other Government Departments. Of the staff of 226 employed as at the 31st March, 1948, there remains now a total of 122, distributed as follows : Pay Accounts, 24 ; Base Records, 98. Accommodation.-—As Base Records activities and staff are diminishing, office space in the Victoria Street building is being released for the accommodation of other Departments. Approximately one-half of the top floor has been already taken over by the Lands and Survey Department, and it is expected that the remainder of that floor will be vacated shortly. The whole of Pay Accounts and Base Records will be then accommodated on the ground and first floors. Deserters Twenty-one soldiers who deserted overseas and thirty-seven who deserted in New Zealand during the war have not yet been apprehended. Full particulars of the absentees and warrants for their arrest have been issued to the Police Department.

11