STAFF SHORTAGE

Bay of Plenty Beacon, Volume 5, Issue 12, 4 February 1942, Page 6

STAFF SHORTAGE

STATE ADVANCES OFFICE

LOSSES TO THE FORCES

The problem of staff shortage in Government departments was strikingly illustrated before the Hamilton Manpower Committee. In a written statement handed in to the committee a representative of the Hamilton branch of the State Advances Corporation said that 36 men from the clerical staff of the branch were on active service, which left 30 male officers. Of the 30, seven have enlisted in the Navy or the Air Force and are waiting to be called up, five are approaching 18 years of age and will be called up for Territorial service in the near future, six have been certified as unfit for overseas service, six more arc married men betAveen 40 and 45 years of age.'with dependent children, three are over the age limit for any service, and the remaining three are married men called up in the latest ballot. It was for five of these 30 that the appeal on behalf of the Corporation, was being made. Ih an endeavour to cope with the situation the Corporation had engaged 49 girl clerical workers since the outbreak of the war. This number did not include shorthand typistes. The Corporation had also given Up the door to door collection of rents in Hamilton from tenants of State houses and others controlled by the Corporation, so that tenants now had to come to the office to pay. In spite of this economy additional work ay as looming up. The Corporation had noAV to handle the Farmers' Loans Emergency Regulations, the matter of huts for farm workers built by the Public Works Department, the Soldiers' Financial Assistance claims Avliich AVould be greatly augmented by the calling up of so many married men, and finally the Corporation Avas vitally concerned in the rehabilitation of men returning from the Avar. The committee granted the applications respecting two men for sine die adjournments, and the call in gup of three men is to be deferred, for three months Avliile other members of tlie staff arc trained for. their special duties.. I