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Q-And you are always in very intimate relations with the Public Works Depart-
ment ?
A-Yes.
Q-The Commission would like to know, Mr. PALMER, whether your relations with the Department, either now or formerly, have suggested to you anything in the way of improvement that might be made in that Department ?
A-Do you mean the work of the Department?
Q-Yes, so far as your own relations with the Department are concerned, or with the public generally.
A--A thing we complain a good deal of is that we can not get our plans passed. It takes a long time, and there apparently seems to be a want of something in the De- partment that we have to wait so long before we get an answer, and know whether our plans are approved or not-especially within the last year or two.
Q-In fact, you complain of delay ?
A-Of unnecessary delay, we say.
Q-Have you any idea how that arises?
A-It possibly may be that the Department is undermanned. One man has to report on all these plans, and it takes some time for him to look over them and make notes on them. Therefore our plans really don't come before the head of the Depart- ment for some weeks after we send them in, probably.
Q-That is your surinise, of course?
A-Yes.
Q- Your surmise is that it is owing to insufficient staff ?
A-Yes.
Q-You do not mean that they are keeping the plans there and not attending to them ?
A--No, except it be they have so much in hand that they have no time to look into them.
Q-During these two years, speaking from your experience, has the work increased largely?
A-1 should say it is within the last five or six years.
Q-And, during that time, there has been no increase unde in the staff with a view to meet this increase of work? You are acquainted with the personnel of the staff ?
A-Yes, there has been no increase.
By Mr. Shewan.-As regards the delay, do you think yourself, knowing their work, the Department is undermanned?
A-I don't know exactly what each man has to do, of course, but I should say. certainly. The clerical department-I don't know whether it is undermanned or whe- ther it is the higher grade, but they can't get through the work. Probably it is the other department, but we never had to wait so long before as we have to do now. There are a great number of bye-laws and one thing and another, and it goes from one department to another, and we don't know which department is at fault. The Sani- tary Department get the plans, and there is delay there. When we ask for a plan, they probably say it is at the Sanitary Board.
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