43 



Forests, who is so much immersed in petty details that he is unable to devote 

 sufficient time to broad administrative questions and to developing the work 

 of the Department. In the understafted condition of the Department this 

 has been almost inevitable, but there has been an increase in the staff since the 

 War, and it is desirable that work should be decentralized very considerably 

 in future. The Conservator should be provided with a Personal Assistant 

 to relieve him of petty office routine work and to take charge of the office 

 during his absence on inspection duty. The Assistant need not necessarily 

 be a senior officer, but should be drawn from any grade of the Administrative 

 staff. He should, as far as possible, assist the Research Officer at head- 

 quarters, particularly in routine work. 



The Division should be made the administrative unit, and Divisional 

 officers should be given more responsibility, their clerical staff being strength- 

 ened with this end in view. This devolution of responsibility should be 

 effected gradually in those Divisions which are held by officers who are as yet 

 comparatively inexperienced. 



Under normal conditions a Division should not ordinarily be held per- 

 manently by an officer of less than 5 years' service, that is, by one of lower rank 

 than Deputy Conservator. During the first 5 years, while an Assistant Con- 

 servator, an officer should be learning his duties in various directions and 

 acting in the capacity of an assistant. He should hold charge of a Forest 

 District for a time, and should also be employed as a Working Plan Assistant, 

 and, if necessary, on demarcation, special surveys, or other work. Office 

 routine and accounts should form part of his regular course of training. 



55. REVISED CADRE, ADMINISTRATIVE BRANCH. In accordance with the 

 proposals contained in the previous portions of this Report, the following 

 revised cadre of the Administrative branch is proposed : 



1 Conservator. 



6 Divisional Officers (paragraph 2). 



2 Working Plan Officers (paragraph 18 (2)). 

 1 Research Officer (paragraph 14). 



1 Personal Assistant to the Conservator (paragraph 54). 



3 Assistants for District charges, working plans, and other 



duties (paragraph 54). 

 14 



Add leave 

 reserve 3 



Total 17, as against 10 on present sanctioned scale. 



Including the one existing vacancy, there will thus be eight vacancies to 

 fill, and it is proposed that these be filled at the rate of two a year. Allowing 

 for retirements and other casualties, this rate of recruitment may be esti- 

 mated to cover a period of five years, at the end of which time a fresh estimate 

 of recruitment for the next quinquennial period will be necessary. 



56. PROPOSALS REGARDING THE EXECUTIVE STAFF (FORESTERS). The 

 seniority list of the Executive staff is at present in an anomalous condition, as 

 the following statement of salaries actually drawn by Foresters of various 

 lengths of service will show : 



Years' service (approximately). Present salary (Dec. 1921). 







17J, 13, 12, and 10 340 



9 280 



8 265 



7J 265 to 325 



2 265 and295 



underl 250 



[243466] 6A 



