CO129-557-5 Estimates 1937 19-8-1936 - 7-8-1937 — Page 201

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4.

Head 12. Fire Brigade.

My predecessor in dealing with the Police Department

Estimates in last year's Budget Speech referred to the provi-

sion of anti-gas equipment for the Police and Medical Depart-

ments and the Volunteers. It will be readily appreciated that

such equipment, in the form of 200 masks, provided under sub- head 18, is necessary also for the Fire Brigade. Special

Expenditure has, otherwise, been confined to necessary replace- ments, and under sub-head 15, to a continuation of the scheme

of converting ball hydrants to pedestal hydrants.

Head 13. Supreme Court.

The salary scales for assistant Legal Officers have

now been made uniform, the scale being £700 to £970 by two

increments of £30, two of £60 and three of £30.

Head 15. Crown Solicitor.

At present there are eleven legal posts and only

twelve officers in the Legal Service. It has been necessary to

utilise the services of the only two Cadet Officers who have full legal qualifications and even then one post has remained unfilled during the greater part of the year, owing to the

absence of officers on leave. For this reason, and for

reasons which will be explained in connection with the Land

Office estimates, provision is being made for two new Legal

Officers, one of whom is shown as an assistant Crown Solicitor

and the other as an assistant Land Officer under Head 17.

Head 17. Land Office.

Provision is made for a second Assistant Land Officer.

The general need for more legal officers has already been indicated, and as regards the Land Office in particular the necessity for additional assistance is pressing. During the last few years there has been an unusually large number of re-

entries by the Crown, and the work of issuing new Crown Leases