CO129-623-8 Estimates of Expenditure- includes a report for the year ending March 1951 1-12-1949 - 31-3-1951 — Page 162

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site from the Defence Force Headquarters on Garden Road, right through to Ice House Street. The offices will be built in sections, so that as the buildings now on the site are demolished, alternative accommodation will be available. The preliminary design for the new block is a pleasing one, but of course final drawings have not yet been made. Offices to which the public require most frequent access will be at the Ice House Street end, and lifts will be installed so that it will be possible to walk from that end along the corridors to the offices at the Garden Road end.

Under sub-head 45 a sum of $250,000 has been provided for domestic appliances for Government quarters. The newer quarters are provided with electric cookers and water heaters from Government stocks, but when the bulk of the quarters were rehabilitated such stocks were not available. The appliances in the quarters which were reconstructed at an earlier date are therefore hired from the Electric Companics. The position has thus arisen whore officers in the newer quarters pay no rent for such appliances while those in the old er quarters do. This has given rise to a certain degree discontent and it has been decided to purchase a sufficient stock of electric appliances for all Government quarters.

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Provision has also been included under sub-head 46 for further Government quarters in the shape of a block of twelve flats, consisting of a living room with dining alcove, and one bedroom. A large number of Government officers are still accommodated in hotels and, while the demand for the bigger type of flat has been more or less met, there is a very definite need for a smaller flat of the type now proposed. Indeed the Civil Service Association have pressed very strongly for accommodation of this type.

The amounts provided under sub-heads 5, 7, 9 and 30 merely represent retention money.

Head 32. Rating and Valuation Department.

Estimate 1950/51

Revised Estimate 1949/50 Approved Estimate 1949/50 Actual Expenditure 1948/49

There are no changes

$212,259

184,989

196,901

161,644

in personnel in this

department but five Clerks and one Woman Confidenrial Assistant have been transferred from the temporary staff. Incroments in salary and the provision of $5,760 for acting pay while the present Commissioner Rating and Valuation is on leave pending retirement account for the increase of $11,228 in Personal Emoluments.

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Arising out of the recent increase in rents and the installation of air-conditioning equipment, an extra $11,380 is needed for the ront of offices. This represents the only increase in recurrent expenditure because the new item for cleaning of offices for which $900 is provided is covered by savings on the other sub-heads.