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1931. NEW ZEALAND.

PUBLIC SERVICE COMMISSIONER (NINETEENTH REPORT OF THE).

Presented to both Houses of the General Assembly by Command of His Excellency.

To His Excellency the Right Honourable Charles, Baron Bledisloe, Member of His Majesty's Most. Honourable Privy Council, Knight Grand Cross of the Most Distinguished Order of Saint Michael and Saint George, Knight Commander of the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire, GovernorGeneral and Commander-in-Chief in and over His Majesty's Dominion of New Zealand and its Dependencies. May it please Your Excellency,— As Commissioner appointed under the Public Service Act, 1912, I have the honour to submit the following report, as required by section 15 of the Act.

REPORT The Administration of the Public Service. As in past years, careful attention has been given to the many general administrative problems that arise in connection with the staffing and the efficient organization of the various Departments of State. During the year under review, however, particular attention has been devoted to exploring all possible avenues of economy in an effort to meet the difficult financial position which has faced the Dominion. The depression in outside commercial and industrial undertakings has shown its reflex in a decline in the business of certain Government Departments, and, added to this, the need for economy in public expenditure has resulted in the curtailment of certain services. In consequence, a considerable diminution in the number of temporary employees has been effected, and in some Departments the retrenching of permanent staff has been an unpleasant necessity. Hardship in this latter connection has been minimized to a considerable degree by limiting retirements, wherever possible, to those who were eligible for pension. Special provision was embodied in the last Finance Act, enabling officers to be retired on superannuation five years earlier than hitherto. A further factor affecting the personnel has been the non-filling of vacancies which have arisen from time to time. No new appointments have been made without the most careful inquiry, and all such have been restricted to cases of public necessity.

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