CO129-534-3 Report of Retrenchment Commission 4-5-1931 - 19-2-1932 — Page 116

3.

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establishment. Not only does a Crown lease have to be

engrossed, but before its actual issue there is often

considerable correspondence.

Correspondence generally has

increased, notably in the number of C.S.0. files that are

sent, at times apparently somewhat unnecessarily, to the

Land Officer to deal with. It was stated that the

Stenographer writes between 2,000 to 3,000 letters per annum

In addition, the Land Officer was in 1927 made Registrar of

Marriages. This work takes the whole time of one clerk;

moreover it not infrequently happens that there are cases

involving difficult points of matrimonial law. The

Commissioners are satisfied that no reductions can safely

be made. It is of the utmost importance that the Deeds

Register be kept and entered by a responsible officer whilst

the issue of Crown Leases is a source of revenue to the

Government,

This was at

5. The present holder of the substantive post of Official

Receiver was appointed in 1927.

time when

there was a very large number of bankruptcies; the arreans

of which are only just being cleared off. Formerly, the

duties of the post were frequently performed by the

Registrar of the Supreme Court. The Commissioners recommend

that, when in three years' time, the present holder retires

the post should not be filled, but that the duties of it

should be performed by the Registrar. In the event of the re

being an abnormal increase in the number of bankruptcies

it would be more economical to engage on a temporary basis

a solicitor either locally or from home.

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