8 NINTH ANNUAL REPORT

room to assist in the pressing task of photocopying the county land
records which have been deposited at the Hall of Records.

For some years the Archivist has made every effort to add one
part time watchman to the maintenance staff in order to permit the
other two watchmen and the mechanical handyman to have one day
off out of every seven. With the assistance of the Board of Public
Works, which made the necessary funds available from the General
Emergency funds of the State, this object was finally accomplished, and
with the beginning of the new fiscal year, July 1, 1944, these new
work weeks go into effect.

The attention of the Commission is invited to the fact that only
one employee resigned from the Hall of Records staff during the year.
While it is too early to come to any final conclusions about this matter,
it seems highly probable that the rapid turnover of the last few years
has come to an end. Several factors have contributed to this good
record. In the first place, the demands of Washington and of the armed
services have become increasingly smaller, and in the second place,
the State itself has taken steps to increase the attractiveness of its
service: many salaries, especially those in the lower brackets, have been
raised substantially, a procedure for regular advancement has been
devised, increased sick leave with pay has been granted, and the retire-
ment system, which was inaugurated in October 1941, has provided old
age security for state employees on a scale comparable with that
offered by the federal service. The first employee of the Hall of
Records to benefit from the retirement plan is Mrs. Josephine Jickling
who will retire on August 1, 1944 after having completed nine years of
service and having reached the age of seventy.

FINANCIAL STATEMENT

A balance of $2, 060. 56 was carried over to the fiscal year 1944 to
provide for 1943 obligations Amounting to $1, 696. 03 and 1942 obligations
amounting to $364. 53. Of the $1, 696. 03 a sum of $1, 686. 31 was ex-
pended and $9. 72 reverted to the General Funds of the State. The
$364. 53 held over from Budget Item No. 509 for the fiscal year 1942,
was reserved to pay for a Recordak Library Film Reader. We had
hopes of receiving this equipment during the early part of the fiscal
year 1944 but were later informed that there was no prospect of
delivery at any time In the near future. Therefore, we asked that this