185 (218)
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A.-To be Officers of the Board, not Government Officials at all?
Q.-They would be Government Officials, but they would be under the direction of the
Board.
A.-It seems to be a desirable thing that they should not be Government servants.
Q-Leaving alone for a moment as to whose servants they should be-
A.-May I interrupt you for a mɔment, I dont mean that as a slur upon the Govern- ment servants,-not in the slightest degree.
Q.-No, no, but if they were under the orders and directions of the Board, to this extent, that if you sent in a plan to be passed by this Board, and it conforms to the letter of the Ordinance, that it should be returned to you at once, and that if it did not comply with the letter of the Ordinance-for instance, if you asked for certain modifications, which the Board have at the present time power to grant, or the Building Authority-that they should just report what they are, and ask the Board, or a Select Committee of the Board, appointed to consider them. Dont you think that that would simplify the work?
A. Yes, I do.
The Chairman. I think I might explain, Mr. Ram, that we think it would perhaps simplify the work, and consequently cheapen the work, if the Sanitary Board really functioned more as a Municipality does at home. They would be a Board composed of certain Officials and Unofficials, but the Executive Work of the Department, both engineer- ing and medical, would be carried out by permanent officers, and they would pass every- thing. It would be all done by one Department, and the Board of Reference, the power of control, would be on the Board, who would give them instructions to carry out the work in the interval.
A.-I should think it would be an improvement. Of course, there would be always a certain amount of work, which the Director of Public Works would have to do,-the laying out of the streets, the laying of buildings.
We admit that, but once your street is laid down, and you want to build, then everything from a sanitary engineering point of view will all be dealt with by the Sanitary Department, and the officer who would be a qualified engineer.
A. Yes.
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Mr. Shelton Hooper.-What I mean is that everything which pertains to Mr. Chatham, as Building Authority to-day, the powers he has got, as contained in this Ordinance, shall be transferred to this Board, and no other duties that he has got as Director of Public Works, and that draws the line exactly ?
A. Yes.
That is what I mean. He would, as he has to-day, still have the authority over the sewers.
I would not interfere with that.
The Chairman.-And the level of the streets, and so ou.
A. Yes.
129. Mr. Shelton Hooper.-Have you any complaints about the length of time plans- have been kept, before you had permission to proceed?
A. Yes. It is almost an invariable custom to have a delay, what appears to us to be unreasonable. I should not be exaggerating by saying that on an average plans take a
month.