374
Recommendations.
(3.) Complaints and report of action taken thereon to be laid before the Board.
(4.) Some simple form of appeal required.
Paragraph 299.
PRESENTS.
These which are contrary to regulation some- times take the form of free launches.
NEW SCHEME.
Paragraphs 311 et seq.
Proposals.
It is considered that this should be left to the Administrative Head of the Department,
A letter of complaint to the Board seems the simplest form of appeal.
Sufficiently dealt with under existing Re- gulations.
311. We would suggest that the Admistra- tion of the Public Health and Building Ordinances be entirely separate from the Public Works Department.
The latter should still keep control of such work as water supply, public roads, sewers, &c., but all matters relating to Sanitary affairs, nui- sances and actual construction or alteration of buildings should be entirely transferred to the Sanitary and Building Department, such Depart- ment to be divided into four sections.
312. (1.) There should be a Secretarial De- partment, the Secretary being co-equal with the heads of the other sub-departments, but having the right to control the entire correspondence, and be kept fully advised as to all that is taking place, in exactly the same way that a Secretary to a Home Municipality, or of a large Company, is the centre of all information.
(2.) The Medical, having at the head, the Medical Officer of Health, with Assistant Medical Officers of Health.
(3.) The Engineering Section, with an Ex- ecutive Engineer, Assistant Engineers, and Over- seers, as may be found necessary.
(4.) The Veterinary Department, under the Colonial Veterinary Surgeon, with supervision of markets and food supplies generally.
313. The whole Department to be controlled by a Board formed of four official and six un- official members, as at present, who shall have the complete ordering of the Department, recommend to the Governor all promotions or changes and alterations in the staff, and be accountable to His Excellency for the expenditure of the funds voted by the Legislative Council.
NEW SCHEME.
It is not proposed to adopt the principal recommendatious under this heading for the following reasons :——
1. It is considered absolutely necessary that there should be an Administrative Head of the Sanitary Department and it is proposed to appoint an Officer who shall be able to devote the whole of his time to the Department.
In this course Sir M. NATHAN agreed in'a minute which he has left on record.
2. It is not considered desirable in the public interest that the Sanitary Board should be constituted the Building Authority with an Executive Engineer as the Chief Executive Officer for performing the duties coming within the scope of the Building Authority.
It is probable that the Commissioners do not intend that the Sanitary Board should be invested with all the extensive powers of the Building Authority which cover every sort of work includ- ing reclamations, resumptions, the building of factories, docks, piers and other large enterprises.
It is more likely that they mean that the Sanitary Board should be constituted the Build- ing Authority for the examination and passing of plans of buildings of a domestic type or of other types if to be erected in the more populous. parts of Kowloon or within the City boundaries.
If such is really their proposal then it means that there must be two Building Authorities.
To such a proposal there are the following strong objections:--
(a.) The change will not effect the object in view, which is ostensibly the saving in time in passing plans for Buildings and House-drainage work. The roads (including alterations of levels, diversions, etc.), water works, storm water drain- age, sewerage, encroachments over Crown Land,