AUSTRALIAN CAPITAL

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXXI, Issue 21716, 3 February 1934, Page 8

AUSTRALIAN CAPITAL

TRANSFERS TO CANBERRA PUBLIC SERVICE STAFFS First to be marked for transfer from Melbourne to Canberra, under the Australian Government's scheme to lish the major part of the Commonwealth Public Sservice in Canberra within the next two years, is the Auditor-General's Department. Considerable interest has been aroused by this decision in view of the reported disinclination of the AuditorGeneral, Mr. Cerutty, to remove his headquarters from Melbourne. Tha transfer of the Auditor-General's Department will be followed by the removal from Melbourne of the development) branch of the Prime Minister's Department, and the bankruptcy branch of the Department. All three will be located in Canberra before the end of the financial year. It is stated that 37 officers attached to the central staff of the Department of Commerce would be transferred later in the year. One difficulty in the way of an immediate major transfer is the lack of housing accommodation in Canberra. Mori3 than 100 houses will be constructed, but additional officers cannot be transferred until these have been completed. A substantial vote will have to be made under the 1934-35 Estimates before the larger staff can be provided with accommodation at the capital. Complete transfer of the central staff will involve 800 public servants and will mean an increase of about 3000' in the population of the Federal Territory. the larger departments will be left in Melbourne at leash for two years.