H.—l4

8

remainder were employed on General Division duties, such as those of overseers, inspectors of apiaries, meat, stock, &c. Taking everything into consideration, it may be regarded as very satisfactory that the number of temporary employees is as small as it is. It will, of course, be recognized that in some Departments where the permanent staff is not sufficient to meet the extraordinary demands it will be necessary to retain the services of the more experienced temporary employees for some little time longer, at any rate until it is possible to fully train the junior permanent officers of the Department. As the previous figures indicate, a determined effort has been made by the Commissioners to reduce the number of temporary employees. In addition to the temporary employees referred to above, there were on the Ist April, 1921, 6,575 casual workmen, &c, employed in Departments such as the Public Works, Lands and Survey, State Forest Service, Agriculture, &c. Appointments of Lads to Cadetships in Wellington. For some years past it has been increasingly difficult to obtain the services of lads qualified for appointment to cadetships in the Public Service. This shortage has been by no means confined to the Public Service, but has been experienced in the Post and Telegraph Department, teaching service, &c. On this account early this year it was decided to accept a number of lads with lower educational qualifications than that of the Public Service Entrance Examination, and to provide facilities for their education up to the Entrance Examination standard. It was recognized that one of the difficulties was the natural hesitancy of parents to permit their sons to accept employment in Wellington unless they knew they would be adequately provided for and looked after. Under the arrangements made the names of new appointees were supplied to the Y.M.C.A., who communicated with the parents of the lads informing them of the conditions under which accommodation could be obtained, and arranged to meet the lads on arrival in Wellington. Provision was made for the accommodation of the lads at the Y.M.C.A. hostel, " Donbank," the purchase of which was made possible by Government granting the Y.M.C.A. an advance of £11,000 free of interest, to be repaid by annual instalments, and subject to the Y.M.C.A. undertaking to provide suitable accommodation for a stated number of lads. The Y.M.C.A. also provides facilities for study, and the surroundings of the hostel are of the best. % Mr. Robert Darroch, for many years Headmaster of the Roseneath School, was appointed Headmaster of the College, and under his efficient control the lads have made good progress, and the scheme has proved to be an unqualified success. Mr. Darroch is also Welfare Supervisor, and exercises a general supervision over the welfare of the cadets. Numerous parents of lads have visited the hostel, and all unite in expressing their satisfaction of the manner in which the boys are provided for. Period of Probation. Section 39 of the Public Service Act, 1912, provides that new appointees shall, in the first instance, be admitted to the Service on probation only for a period of not less than six months. The period of six months is not long enough to enable the suitability and capability of the new appointee, particularly of a junior officer, to be fully tested, and it has therefore been decided that the period of probation shall in future be at least two years, and its extension to four years for cadets is under review. The effect of a short period of probation has been that some candidates (not a large number) have been retained whose bent, it has later become apparent, lies in directions other than in the Public Service. In this connection the remarks of the Public Service Commission in 1912 are pertinent : "In addition to young fellows of ability, there will be a certain proportion of young men who, either through want of capacity or because the work in the Government Service is not congenial to them, will not be a success. This is found to be the case in every large business concern, and the business method of dealing with cases of this kind is to pass them out of the Service as soon as it is found that they are unsuitable for it. Some such method should be adopted in the Public Service, and we think, therefore,