§ Mr. Sharpasked the Minister of Agriculture why it is considered necessary to provide for an increase in the staff of his Department engaged in the purchase and sale of home-produced wool.
§ Mr. T. WilliamsThe figures shown in the 1948–49 estimates do not in fact provide for any increase in the staff engaged in the purchase and sale of home-grown wool over the numbers actually employed at the end of 1947. The explanation is that, when responsibility for the marketing of home-grown wool; and with it the staff engaged on the work, were transferred in the middle of 1947 from the Board of Trade to my Department, the early estimates of the number of staff to be transferred were too low; the estimates for 1948–49 have accordingly been adjusted to take account of the actual staff transferred which was 225.