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while it would be difficult to avoid incurring additional
expenditure when that Official went on leave.
3.
I am informed that it is impro-
-bable that any other firm of Solicitors here of repute
would take the Government work for less than the sum now
asked by Mr. Bowley.
4.
The Crown Solicitor's work is at
the present time well done and that it should be so is of
the greatest financial importance to Government as
on it
depends collection of revenue from defaulters and success-
-ful resistance to claims on Government involving heavy
expenditure. Especially the annual resumption now under-
-taken of considerable areas of Insanitary Property in
Victoria, which is termed a new branch of work in the 11th.
paragraph of the application, involves long and tedious
negotiations with a large number of property owners
endeavouring with legal and expert assistance to get the
maximum compensation from Government.
5.
In these circumstances I recommend
that the payment to the Crown Solicitor should from the
1st. January, 1906, be fixed at £1,000 per annum but that
this sum should include the expenses of any staff clerical
as well as technical that he may employ as well as any
other