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CHAPTER lI.—ADMINISTRATION 13. Permanent and Temporary Staff. —Permanent, 254 (224) ; temporary, 171 (145). The Forest Service is committed not only to extensive rehabilitation schemes, but also to normal departmental expansion, and is actively engaged in the recruitment of additional technical, field, and clerical personnel. The increase shown is accounted for largely by the technical trainees recruited during the year, but it is already apparent that to staff the post-war programme the Forest Service must recruit some senior officers either from other Departments or from outside the Public Service. Efforts to secure junior field staff made some progress during the year, but continuing man-power restrictions and the higher rates of pay with overtime in other industries are factors which preclude any immediate relief. Nevertheless, it is an urgent necessity that key workmen be obtained now for development into leading hands, foremen, and even forest rangers prior to the commencement of the post-war programme. The only source that could possibly supply the type of young fit men in the number required is the replacement drafts from overseas, and it is hoped that as further drafts return sufficient suitable men will become available as to ensure the smooth functioning and rapid development of the Department's post-war programme. 14. Military Service.—Second New Zealand Expeditionary Force, 48 (58) ; R.N.Z.A.F., 31 (23) ; Territorial, 4 (13); Navy, 14 (11). It is with regret that the deaths on active service of two more officers must be recorded. The Government has continued its policy, in the case of members of the staff completing their service with the Armed Forces overseas, of seconding them for duty with forest authorities in other countries before returning to New Zealand. Two such members of the staff have already completed their tours of duty in Great Britain and North America, while another three have recently proceeded to Canada and the United States of America for the same purpose, two of them after investigational work in Italy. Excellent results have followed, .and the whole scheme has been warmly commended by overseas authorities. 15. Casual Staff. —Average for year, 992 (915). Throughout the year no major improvement has occurred in the numerical strength of the labour personnel, and some forests have insufficient man-power to combat fires. The Forest Service employs men under the conditions of the Timber Workers' award for harvesting activities such as logging and milling, &c., but for silvicultural operations there is a special industrial agreement —the State Forest Workers' agreement. Under the latter, the Forest Service has been unable to secure even for the fire season the same priority for the recruitment of available man-power that is accorded the food-producing and some other industries. Moreover, the Department has withheld in this section of its undertakings very few men on appeal from the Armed "Services, and while the Forest Service cannot therefore operate in the present " replacement " scheme with men from the overseas Forces it is believed that the gravity of its man-power position will be recognized by the man-power authorities, and an adequate complement of suitable labour provided. 16. Honorary Staff. —Honorary Forest Rangers, 217 (250); 28 new appointments and 61 resignations or appointments expired due to effluxion of time or removal from district. 17. Health of Staff. —Special efforts have been made to secure additional staff for timber-measuring activities both on account of increasing work and to give some relief to the older officers still engaged on these arduous duties. Extra duties involving overtime and the forgoing of some annual leave are still necessary, and the general health of the staff —particularly of the older appraisal officers —can only be regarded as fair. In this connection plans are being formulated which, when staff become available, will permit the cessation of timber cruising during some of the winter months. 18. Safety of Employees.—Total accidents, 149 (256), made up as follows : cuts 25 (67) ; strains 38 (61); fractures, 8 (4); crushes and bruises, 23 (78); septic wounds, 16 (23); eye injuries, 7 (7) ; miscellaneous, 18 (16). In addition, it is reported with regret that there was one fatal accident; an employee was crushed by a rolling log on a loading-bank. It is satisfactory to record that the total number of accidents for the year shows a reduction of over 100 from the previous year, and that some 60 per cent, comprise minor injuries. 19. Compensation to Employees. —The Service continues to carry its own accident-insurance risk, and the total compensation payment, total wages, &c., are as under :—

For the year the estimated premium payable for a comprehensive accident policy would have been £12,798 ; a saving of £7,024 has thus been effected. The rate per cent, is adversely affected by the inclusion in the total payments for the year under review of a sum of £1,036 incurred in respect of the death of an employee during the preceding year; 20. Recruitment. —The main source of field staff recruitment continues to be the secondary schools ; from a record number of applicants (88),- 22 trainees were appointed during the year, 7of whom have commenced study for a B.Sc. degree. Three trainees entered the Armed Forces, bringing the number so serving to 30, so that out of the total of 61 appointed to date, the number actually being trained is now 31. In addition to the above long-term scheme of staff recruitment, involving a period of six to seven years' training, opportunities are being provided for older and more experienced men, particularly ex-servicemen, to join both clerical and field staff after relatively brief training.

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Year. Total Payments. I Total Wages. Per Cent. (Approx.). £ £ £ b. d. 1943-44 .. .. 4,804 255,611 1 17 7 1944-45 .. .. 5,774 292,483 1 19 5