Police protection,
Sale-plans to show: (1) dimensions
oft ots.
(2) Street levels.
Making best
nse of
available
land.
Penalizing
idle land suitable for building.
Adding floors to godowns. and convert- ing godowns into tene-
ments.
Guild offices and private clubs to be removed
from central situations.
of P.W.D.
InadequateJ
staff.
Building Office staff.
116
built is small in the first instance. We recommend that this suggestion be carried out. Amongst the et ceteras required are electric light and water. Adequate Police protection is another obvious need,
* 52. We also recommend-
(1) That, if possible, dimensions of lots to be sold by the Government should be shown on the sale-plans; (see letters (S), (35) and (54) in Enclosure 1); and
(2) That levels of adjoining streets should be shown on sale-plans as
soon after the Crown land is sold as possible.
Sub-Head (4)—-Utilization to Best Advantage of Land Already Available,
53. The recommendations under this sub-head are designed to utilize to the best advantage existing available land, whether vacant or built upon.
* 54. We recommend---
(1) That the Government, by amendment of the Rating Ordinance, place a heavy tax on privately-owned land, not utilized in connection with any building, which is obviously suitable for building on but which is not being built upon or offered for building on.
(2) That encouragement be given by the Government, by loans at 5%, to owners of one-storey or two-storey godowns on adjoining lots on Praya East and Praya West to co-operate in increasing the area of land available for building tenements, by heightening the godowns on one lot to three or four storeys, thus economising godown space, and by using the adjacent lot for building a Chinese tenement-house. In other instances low godowns might be rebuilt, with such Government assistance as aforesaid, and living accommodation might be erected on the top of the godowns (see letter (16) para. 3 1) in Enclosure 1, and Mr. White's evi- dence at page 10 in Enclosure 8 (3) ).
(3) That the Governmeut should take steps to secure the removal of guild offices and the numerous small private clubs, which are only frequented at night, from the crowded parts of the City to the outskirts, as soon as sufficient new houses are built in the latter districts to accommodate them (see letter (27) in Enclosure 1). One reason in favour of such action is that, in time of disorder caused by labourers, a more effective control over the guilds and their activities can be exercised by the Government.
Sub-Head (5)—Provision of Adequate Staff for the Public Works Department.
55. After careful enquiries we are satisfied that the staff of the Survey Office and Buildings Office of the Public Works Department is totally inade- quate to cope with the heavy work it has to perform.
56. From the statement furnished by the late Mr. White, (attached to Enclosure 8 (3)) it will be seen that the number of plans dealt with in the Building Office rose from an average of just over 5 a day in 1912 to 10 a day in 1922-3; and, as regards staff his evidence shows-
(1) that his Office has been carrying on with only 3 Overseers (one of whom was seconded from his proper post of Clerk of Works) instead of its proper complement of 7 Overseers (see page 6 of his evidence);
(2) that his Office required 2 Clerks of Works (ibid); and (3) that another Assistant Engineer was also required.