Head 63-Public Works Recurrent
Buildings and Lands
2.19 Recurrent expenditure showed a further increase during the year to a total of $30,141,997, as compared with $23,853,711 in 1970-71, divided among the Offices concerned as follows:
(a) Architectural Office
...
(b) Buildings Ordinance Office
1970-71 $22,878,058 1971-72 $27,776,967 $ ... $ 975,653 11,009 $ 2,354,021(c) Crown Lands and Survey Office
These increases were respectively due to:
(a) the greater number of buildings to be maintained and the continuing rise in building costs;
(b) the provision for the first time of funds to enable the Building Authority to carry out investigations under the Buildings Ordinance;
(c) the greatly increased requirement for clearing, fencing and guarding existing and newly reclaimed Crown Land, the growing number of buildings under Crown management and the rising costs of maintaining them and the assumption by the Office of responsibility for the supply of maps, hitherto borne by the Government Printer.
Civil Engineering and Highways
2.20 Although these two subjects have been the responsibilities of separate Offices since 1969 they tend to overlap to a certain extent, particularly in the field of drainage works, and for ease of comparison the expenditure figures have been taken together in the table at Appendix F. The combined recurrent expenditure of two Offices for 1971-72 is $48,210,933, attributable as follows:
Civil Engineering Office $28,114,436 Highways Office $20,096,497The total exceeds the 1970-71 figure of $23,944,713 by $24,266,220, or 101.34%, for the following reasons:
(a) the expenditure of $17,667,061 on the collection and storage of sand resulting from the transfer of responsibility for the operation
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