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In the Health Department the establishment of school dental clinics has necessitated the appointment of 199 dental nurses ; and the policy of having greater regard for the physical well-being of the school-children has involved the appointment of 30 school nurses. Both of these activities are developments since 1914, and account for a considerable increase in the present staff personnel. In addition to this, on the sanitary-inspection side Government took over certain activities that in 1914 were carried out by local authorities, and this accounts for an increase in the number of Health Inspectors from 6 in 1914 to 47 in 1931. The increase in the Education Department has been due primarily to the extension of child-welfare activities, and the nationalization of Inspectors of Schools previously under Education Boards. The establishment of the Correspondence School accounts for an increase of 17 on the Department's staff, and this activity has not only provided a much-needed facility to backblocks children, but has meant an economy in the way of lessening the necessity for the establishment of small country schools. The increase in the National Provident Fund and Friendly Societies Department has been due to the extension of facilities to the public. The policy in this connection is now under review. The increase in the Pensions Department beyond normal expansion of business has been almost entirely due to the added work in connection with war pensions. In the Labour Department the increased industrial development of the Dominion has necessitated an increased inspectorial staff. Dealing with the administration of justice and the maintenance of law and order, the expansion in the Justice Department has only been in harmony with the growth in the general population. In connection with prisons, industrial development and the establishment of farm camps on modern humanitarian lines has necessitated an increased staff, but as a set-off against this the credits to Public Account from the earnings of prisoners have increased ninefold since 1914, and thereby lessened the relative burden on the taxpayer. In connection with the developmental services a fairly pronounced increase is to be observed ; but this is to be expected in a country such as New Zealand, where as yet but the fringe has been touched in the way of developing its latent natural resources. The figures are as follow : — Developmental Services. Ist April, ,1914. Ist April, 1931. Department. Number. Number. Public Works .. .. .. .. .. 531 757 Agriculture .. .. .. .. .. 427 549 Lands ..424 613 State Forests .. .. . . .. . . 17 119 Immigration .. .. .. .. . • 6 9 Industries and Commerce, Tourist, and Publicity .. 126 109 Scientific and Industrial Research .. . . .. 54 The increase in the staff of the Public Works Department has been in connection with the increased activities incidental to railway-construction, roads and highways, and hydro-electric development. In the Department of Agriculture the increase has been due to a policy of giving assistance to primary development by way of instruction to producers, by the maintenance of standards and prevention of disease, and by the Government co-operating in a more effective system of marketing of products through a comprehensive scheme of inspection, to which policy is closely correlated the growth of exports of primary produce, upon which the economic well-being of the Dominion is so largely dependent. The position in the Lands Department may be attributed mainly to the development of the soldier settlement schemes, which necessitated a considerable increase in the number of field officers for advisory purposes. In the State Forests Department a progressive policy of afforestation accounts for the considerable growth in staff. In the Scientific and Industrial Research Department the increase again is more apparent than real, as this Department comprises mainly technical officers transferred from other Departments —e.g., Meteorological Office, previously attached to Marine, and Geological Survey, previously attached to the Mines Department.

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