H.—l4.

The tables that follow refer to the year ended 31st December, 1939. The work of the Recruitment Officers is only partially reflected in the figures, because they did not commence their duties until November of that year. The total, 711, is the biggest number ever entered in the Public Service in one year. The reason for this is not difficult to ascertain. There has been unprecedented expansion of Governmental activity. It will be noticed that between them the Customs, Land and Income Tax, Social Security, and Public Trust Departments took 306 cadets. It is appropriate to state that the Public Trust Office's large input was to make good numerical vacancies created by the supply of trained officers to other Departments ; the Social Security Department was instituted during the year, although it was staffed, in the main, from the Pensions and Labour (Employment) Departments, and the Customs Department had the burden of import licensing added to its normal functions. The Land and Income Tax Department was moved to more commodious premises, which enabled a long overdue increase in staff. Locations of Cadets appointed, Ist January, 1939, to 31st December, 1939. Main centres— Auckland .. . . .. . . YI Wellington .. .. .. ~ 423 Ohristchurch .. .. .. ~ 39 Dunedin ~ ~ .. ~ 21 Secondary centres (North Island) — Whangarei . . . . . . , . 10 Hamilton .. . . .. ~ 23 Rotorua .. .. .. ~ Paeroa . . .. .. .. ~ o Tauranga .. .. ~ ~ Gisborne .. .. .. ~ _ g Napier .. .. .. .. . _ Dannevirke .. .. .. .. « Te Kuiti .. .. .. ~ 0) New Plymouth . . . . . . . . . . _ _ ' (j Stratford . . . . . . , , j Wanganui .. .. .. ~ g Palmerston North.. . . .. .. 25 Masterton .. . . . . . , r> Others (one appointee) .. .. . q Secondary centres (South Island) — Blenheim .. .. . . . , r Nelson .. .. ~ .. .. I I Greymouth .. .. .. ~ ~ g Hokitika.. .. .. .. . 2 Timaru .. .. .. ~ ~ Alexandra . . . . . . ~ 2 Gore .. .. ~ _ _ _ o Invercargill . . . . . . , . 15 Others (one appointee) .. .. .. .. 5 Total .. .. ~ _ 711 Up to the end of May, 1940, 650 cadets have been employed and all qualified available applicants have been exhausted. Training for Record Clerks. An acute want of trained record clerks and assistants has been experienced in recent years, mainly because of the creation of new Departments and new branches in established Departments. A class was therefore instituted to provide intensive training. It was held over a period of fourteen weeks and consisted of a weekly lecture and practical demonstrations at intervals. The lectures dealt extensively with, every phase of record-work, and the class was given the fullest opportunity to discuss the material contained in the lecture. Over one hundred students attended with commendable regularity, including several senior record clerks who showed much interest and took the opportunity of brushing up their knowledge. At the conclusion of the course eighty students presented themselves for examination and thirty-four candidates secured a pass.

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