H.—l4.

The immediate effect of the two salary cuts and reductions in permanent staff since 31st March, 1931 (allowing for scale increments, promotions, &c), will be seen from the following table, which shows the classification of each group of officers (excluding the Administrative Division) after the cuts have been made, as compared with the total salaries for the year ended the 31st March, 1931 (i.e., before the cuts were imposed) : —

Staff Statistics. The statistics shown as Table 111 in the appendix hereto reveal that there has been a net decrease of 314 permanent officers as at the 3.lst March last as compared with the position at the end of the previous year. It will be seen from the table that in nearly all .Departments there has been a curtailing of staffs. In some Departments this has been possible through the curtailment of services, but in a great number of Departments the depression has considerably increased the amount of work. In certain Departments the full extent of the economies effected is obscured by the fact that fresh appointments have been made in some particular branch—for example, in the Health Department the services of 49 officers were dispensed with, but during the year 21 new dental trainees were added to the establishment, thus reducing the net reduction to 28. Industries and Commerce, Tourist, and Publicity Department shows an increase of 56, but here again the increase is nominal only, a corresponding reduction being shown under Internal Affairs, from which Department the staff of the Statistician's Office was transferred. Similarly, a nominal increase in the Justice Department is compensated for by a corresponding reduction through the transfer of the Registrar - General's Office from Internal Affairs to Justice. Land and Income Tax has shown a net increase of 15 officers ; there have been 19 additions to staff and 4 retirements. This increase has been necessitated through extra work incidental to the recent taxation proposals being thrown upon the Department. The total decrease at the end of the year in the classified lists of all Departments under the Commissioner's control has been 671, as against the total increases during the year of 357. In regard to the staffing of State Departments it must be borne in mind that, contrary to the general experience in private undertakings, the depression has in a great many cases increased the volume of work, accentuated the difficulties, and ushered in many new problems which Government has been obliged to deal with. Where it has been possible to carry on with a skeleton staff, or to arrange for a particular work to be carried on by a merger with another Department, this has been

5

Class (excluding Administrative Total Salaries, Total Salaries after Total Salaries after Annual Savings as Division, and Native-school 31st March, 1931. First Cut. Second Cut compared with Teachers). ' 31st March, 1931. Professional— £ £ £ £ A •• ■• ••■ I 150,915 127,262 114,004 36,911 B ■• •■ •■ 74,010 62,212 56,234 17,776 c •■ •■ •• 62,620 52,411 47,279 15,341 D ■• •• ■• 40,020 35,001 31,897 8 123 E .. .. .. 13,050 13,842 13,069 F . •• •• -• I 4,410 2,713 2,949 1,461 Clerical— s P ec ial •■ ■ .. 55,960 45,036 40,670 15,290 I •• •• 57,530 51,070 46,222 11,308 11 •• •• 42,295 34,866 31,399 10,896 HI .. .. 73,805 63,684 57,396 16,409 IV ■■ •• 100,075 83,763 75,556 24,519 v •• •■ 96,675 89,694 81,012 15,663 VI •• ■ ■ 164,875 142,524 128,595 36,280 vn ■• ■■ 445,965 427,292 425,909 20,056 General— I (£320 and over) .. 319,394 263,195 238,289 81105 II (£232-£319) .. 392,298 342,488 316,100 76 198 III (£191-£231) .. 115,210 100,884 97,438 17 772 IV (£190 and under) .. 84,437 70,915 68,506 15,931 Educational .. .. 12,215 11,226 10,428 1,787 Totals .. 2,305,760 2,020,085 1,882,964 422,826