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F.—l

Staff. Comparative Return of Officers of the Post and Telegraph Department for the Years ended 31st March, 1915, and 31st March, 1916. The total number of officers on the staff on the 31st March, 1915 and 1916, was as under :— 31st March, 31st Maroh, 1915. 1916. Postmaster-General ... ... ... ... 1 1 Classified staff— Permanent— Administrative Division ... ... ... 3 Professional Division ... ... ... 36 39 Clerical Division ... ... ... ...2,477 2,855 General Division ... ... ... ... 3,445 3,547 Temporary— Night-watchmen ... ... ... ... 5 6 Postmistresses and assistants ... ... 52 Switchboard attendants ... ... ... 119 336 Note-sorters ... ... ... ... 8 9 Total, classified staff ... ...6,094 6,848 Employees not on permanent staff — Country Postmasters and Postmistresses ... 2,347 2,346 Postmasters and telegraphists or telephonists who are Eailway officers ... ... ... 143 153 Total ... ... ... ... 8,584 9,347 Health of Staff. The following table gives the average absence of officers on sick-leave: — Mean Average Absencs Avorage Absence Number tlrsfck Officer £or each officer on Staff. per sict umcer. employed. Days. Days. Men ... ... ... 5,819 10-31 357 Women ... ... ... 652 17-68 9-22 Fifteen officers died during the year, exclusive of casualties in the Expeditionary Force. Personal and Staff. During the year Mr. H. W. Harrington, Inspector of Telegraph-offices, retired after over fifty years' service. His Majesty the King was pleased during the year to confer the Imperial Service Medal on five ex-officers of the Department in recognition of long and faithful service. It is noteworthy that one of the recipients, Miss Sarah Brock, was the first lady in New Zealand to receive the honour. Up to 31st Maroh, 1916, 747 permanent officers of the Department have been, accepted for service with the Expeditionary Forces; this includes one Nursing Sister. Of these officers I regret to say 27 have been killed in action or have died from wounds or sickness ; 7 are reported as " Missing, believed dead," and 36 have been wounded. The number accepted mentioned above represents 26 per cent, of the permanent male staff eligible for active military service. From the temporary staff 190 men have been accepted. Of these, 4 have been killed in action, lis reported " Missing, believed dead," and 8 have been wounded. The Department's total contribution of men to 31st March numbers 937, and to date 1,013. During the year the Department was asked to supply a wireless-telegraphy troop of sixty-two officers. This constituted a very heavy drain of the Department's experts, but the call was promptly met, and the Department had the satisfaction of supplying the whole troop, including the officers. The Department has also provided a large number of expert telegraphists, mechanicians, and linemen for duty with the Force, and by selecting trained postal men has enabled the postal arrangements abroad for the Expeditionary Force to be placed on a very good footing. The whole of the work in connection with the distribution and collection of the schedules for the War Census Register was undertaken by the Department for the Department of Internal Affairs, and performed very satisfactorily at a minimum cost. Subsequently the Department supplied a large staff of junior officers for sorting the schedules, and a staff of some 244 clerks, who worked after ordinary office hours under the direction of the Government Statistician, preparing the data from which the Register was compiled. The organization of the Department, has been found useful before in work of this nature. During the year 80 officers of the Department in Wellington rendered assistance in the Base Records Office of the Defence Department, writing up the " history sheets " of members of the Expeditionary Force. During the year the Department has given employment to several returned soldiers, and it has been arranged that preference in the matter of employing lads and telegraph message-boys is to be given to sons of members of the Expeditionary Force after fatherless lads have been provided for.