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would at first appear from the figures, as many appellants lodge several appeals against officers in the same set of promotions. The table shows the number of appeals and not the number of appellants. Some criticism has recently been apparent in the Service regarding the Board of Appeal. Such criticism, in our opinion, is unwarranted. In its review of appointments the Board of Appeal acts as an effective safeguard .against injustices in that appellants are accorded full opportunity of stating their claims to an independent and impartial tribunal. As the Commissioner has no representative on the Board of Appeal it would be of considerable advantage if the Board gave its reasons for allowing an appeal. The Commissioner is sometimes left entirely in the dark as to the reasons for his decision being set aside —a decision arrived at only after very careful consideration of the claims and merits of officers concerned. Superannuation Amendment Act, 1945 The amendments made to superannuation legislation as it affects public servants under the provisions of the Superannuation Amendment Act, 1945, are viewed with considerable satisfaction by this Office. The major amendment was the repeal of the former provision restricting the retiring-allowance to a maximum of £3OO per annum. Alterations were made in the basis of ■calculating retiring-allowances and in the amounts of allowances payable to • widows and children. A fundamental change introduced in the Amendment Act was the provision for membership of the Fund to be optional. The Amendment Act has done much to remove the objections that public servants had to their superannuation rights. As has been pointed out in many previous reports, one of the important incentives for recruitment of permanent ■employees to a large organization is undoubtedly an adequate superannuation ■scheme to make provision for retirement owing to age or medical unfitness. Experience has proved the value of a permanent Public Service, and the improvement in the superannuation legislation should assist in maintaining it .as a permanent career service with a more contented staff. Overtime The endeavour made to reduce the amount of overtime being worked throughout the Service has been attended with some success, and overtime has -declined substantially in most Departments. It was realized that it could not be eliminated altogether at this stage. Overtime was still being worked in some organizations during the year to an extent that continuation could only detract from the general efficiency of the organization. Some relief has been .afforded hard-pressed Departments by arranging overtime on an interdepartmental basis. This has been particularly so in Wellington. It is doubtful whether the shorthand-typing work in some Departments could have been -carried out had it not been for teams of employees from other Departments undertaking shorthand-typing work in overtime. In general, overtime is uneconomic, and as the staff situation becomes easier it should be reduced to the point where it will be required only to cope with a transitory rush of work. Condition and Efficiency of the Public Service Section 15 of the Public Service Act, 1912, requires the Commissioner to report at least once annually on the condition and efficiency of the Public Service. It is inevitable that the efficiency of a large organization like the Public Service must suffer in time of war when such a large number of trained personnel is lost to the Armed Forces. Whatever defects may have shown themselves in the Service during the war years, none has been such as to cause a, major breakdown. This in itself is extremely gratifying and reflects the

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