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Designations of Permanent Heads In four Departments (Internal Affairs, Justice, Maori Affairs, and Mines ) the permanent head has the designation of " Under-Secretary," which is a relic of the days when the Minister was the Secretary. The suggestion that these four heads should be called " Secretary," the same as twelve other heads, has been discussed with them. Three agree that " Under-Secretary " is inappropriate, but only one favours " Secretary " instead. Meanwhile no change has been made. Special designations are sometimes warranted to conform to trade practice {e.g., Government Printer ; General Manager of State Fire Office) or to signify function (e.g., Solicitor-General; Public Trustee), but in most other cases departmental heads could very well be styled " Secretary " without loss of status or significance. Administrative Appointments The undermentioned administrative appointments have been made : Health : Dr. J. Cairney, Director-General, succeeding Dr. T. E. Ritchie, retired. Justice and Prisons : Mr. S. T. Barnett, Under-Secretary of Justice and Controller-General of Prisons, succeeding Mr. B. L. Dallard, retired. Land and Income Tax — Mr. H. R. Herrick, Deputy Commissioner, succeeding Mr. F. B. Aburn, retired. Mr. F. R. Macken, Deputy Commissioner of Taxes (Stamp Duties), following the amalgamation of Stamp Duties Department with Land and Income Tax Department. Tourist and Health Resorts : Mr. R. W. Marshall, General Manager, succeeding Mr. L. J. Schmitt, retired. Valuation : Mr. W. R. Beattie, Valuer-General, succeeding Mr. C. G. S. Ellis, now Assistant Director of Education (Administrative). Promotion Policy, Administrative Appointments The question of retirement is not normally raised until officers attain (a) forty years' (or more) service and age sixty ; or (b) sixty-five years of age irrespective of service. Officers with forty years' service may, however, elect to retire. This range in possible retiring-ages —fifty-six to sixty-five —presents some problems when administrative appointments are being made. On retirement of a permanent head at, say, fifty-eight years of age, his deputy, aged sixty-three, might expect to succeed him simply because he did not join the Public Service as a youth. In making administrative appointments the Commission takes the long-range view and leans to the appointment of younger men over others who have but a short time to serve, unless, of course, the appointment of a senior man is obviously justified in the interests of efficiency. It seems to the Commission that there is a strong case for a common retiring-age—-perhaps sixty years —to apply in future appointments in all cases and irrespective of length of service. This would react to the disadvantage, so far as superannuation is concerned, of officers who enter the Service as adults, as most professional people do. However, special superannuation provisions could no doubt be made to cover such cases — e.g., a provision to enable them to " buy back " sufficient service to give them forty years' contributory service at age sixty. List op Temporary Employees For the first time a list of temporary employees as at Ist April, 1949, set out on the same lines as the Classification List for permanent employees, was published for internal use by the Commission and Commission's representatives. It has proved of great value for reference and statistical purposes and has justified its retention in future years.

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