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98
myself and the remainder of my staff on Saturdays, Sundays, and
public holidays as on other days, and that no mere statement of
hours of work can convey any idea of the intensity of the labour
put int the organization of the department, the most trying feature by far being the enforced haste with which every point had
to be taken, so that it was very seldom that undivided attention
could be given to one matter at a time. The fourth point is that
the month of January was in no way better or worse in this respect
than the months which preceded and followed it. On Sunday 9th
February at 6 p.m. I interviewed by appointment the Hon. Sir
Robert Kotewall, in my office, I having found it utterly impossible
to spare any time whatever for the purpose at more convenient hours;
sir mobert later wrote a very full am accurate account of the
conversation, which he submitted for my confirmation, and I noted
that in a remark at the end of his draft he had noted as his
personal observation (nothing was said about it in our conversation)
that he was convinced that Mr. Forrest was working under such
conditions that a nervous breakdown was the sure outcome unless they
were speedily rectified; whether that record was ever seen by any senior Government official I do not know; but it is quite certain
that nothing was done to rectify the conditions until 1 was allotted
the services of Mr. Himsworth on 1st March, and thus enabled to do
something to undo the overcrowding of my office by a ending a detach-
ment to another building. During that time I had to do my beat to obtain for those of my staff earmarked for outdoor work a modicum
of training on ship-board, and as a preliminary went myself to see
how passport examination was conducted by the Police; with the aid
of Mr. A.J.C.Taylor, seconded to my department as A.1.0. on 1st December, but not finally available (because of volunteer camps)
until 10th December, I had to survey the New Territories and select aites for posts, offices and quarters. Conferences with shipping
companies and with big recruiters for overseas labour like Gibb,
Livingston & Co.,Ltd., made further demands on my time; and it was considered necessary, in fairness to my inaxperienced staff, to