376
Recommendations.
NEW SCHEME,--Continued.
Staff under New Scheme.
'336.
Secretary,
£ 630
Assistant Secretary,
400
Medical Officer of Health,
630
Four Assistant Medical Officers
2,200
3,000
1,375
of Health, at £550,...................... Inspectors: Ten Victoria, two
Kowloon, at £250,
..(to be abolished).
250
250
Five Plague Inspectors at £275, Prosecuting Inspector,.... Inspector in charge of cemeteries, Inspector in charge of burials Two Inspectors in charge of
Disinfecting Stations,
500
Executive Engineer,
630
Three Assistant Engineers at
£400,
1,200
Five Overseers at £250,
1,250
One Draughtsman,
180
Colonial Veterinary Surgeon,...
630
Two Market Inspectors,
...(to be abolished).
•
Two Sanitary Surveyors, .............(to be abolished). Two Cattle Depôt Inspectors, Interpreters for the whole De- partment. Fifteen at £61, .
500
915
£14,540
shewing an estimated saving of some £570 per
annum.
337. It will be noticed that in order to place the Heads of the Sub-Divisions of the De- partment on an equality, we recommend the same rate of pay for the Secretary, Medical Officer of Health, Executive Engineer, and
Engineer, and Colonial Veterinary Surgeou.
338. The general principle which has guided us in drawing out this scheme is that there have in the past been too large a number of Inspectors and subordinate officers of the Department, we may say an unnecessarily large number, and not sufficient senior and qualified officers to give proper supervision to their work. Under the system of Senior and District Inspec- tors, a good deal of work was done twice over, but by a proper systematising of the duties of the various members of the Staff, the work can be done by a smaller number of men.
339. The Senior Inspector system has we consider proved a failure. These men have not as a body proved themselves reliable, while a good deal of friction has unquestionably arisen between them and their immediate subordinates, the Dis- trict Inspectors.
340. We consider a far better result would be attained were each District to be under the control of one man, who will deal direct with the Secretary, the Medical Officer of Health, or Exe- cutive Engineer, as the case may be; the last two of whom, with their assistants, will be able to regularly visit their District Offices and advise the Inspectors as may be found necessary.
Proposals.
NEW SCHEME,—Continued.
prac-
Let it be supposed for a moment that tising Architects do not accept a ruling of the Board's Building Authority and appeal to the Board. Where is the Board to seek advice in such a case but from the Director of Public Works? A source of friction is thus at once, opened between the two Authorities.
4. It is considered that the object in view, namely the saving of circumlocution in passing plans and the facilitation of constructional work under the Ordinance generally, can be attained in a much simpler way by some such arrange- ment as is sketched in the Director of Public Works' minute of the 18th of April, 1907, and Government is quite willing to discuss the details- of such an arrangement.
3. Finally it is proper to state that when the Director of Public Works' minute of the 18th April had been considered by Sir M. NATHAN the latter left on record a minute in which he expressed his agreement with the objections. which the Director of Public Works has raised. to this proposal of the Commissioners.
6. There are minor points in the paragraphs under the heading New Scheme which will receive- consideration.