The decrease of revenue from land sales was due to a drop in land values and less plots being available for sale during the year. Revenue derived from 'Chargeable Water' continued to increase in comparison with the previous year although it was under the approved estimate by nearly $16 M., which has been adjusted to reflect the revised estimate. A new item 'Departmental services to the Urban Council and the Housing Authority' was created for the collection of revenue for works done by Government on behalf of the two bodies. Charges raised by the Public Works Department amounted to $15.072 M.
Deposits
2.46
The volume of work of various types carried out by the Department for private organisations and individuals showed a further increase in 1973/74 as reflected in the respective deposit accounts. Payment in these cases is required in advance, based on an estimate of the cost of the work to be done, to which is added a percentage to cover Departmental overhead expenses. The payments are placed on deposit accounts until work is completed and the final cost is known, when an adjustment is made taking the equivalent of the actual cost plus Departmental expenses to revenue, any surplus held being refunded to the payer.
At the beginning of the year the balance held on deposit, i.e. in respect of works not completed, was $11,473,845 and further deposits amounting to $13,911,073 were received during the year; from this total of $25,385,128 the amount taken to revenue in respect of completed works was $10,260,604, while $2,068,985 was refunded, leaving balances remaining on the deposit accounts at the end of the year totalling $13,055,539.
2.47
Under the Government-financed Staff Welfare Scheme, funds allocated by Government are placed in a Departmental deposit account to be used for authorised welfare and relief purposes to assist lower-paid staff. During the year 35 loans totalling $25,410 were issued under the scheme and $17,171 was recovered in repayments. The balance available at the end of the year for all purposes was $89,496.
Contracts
2.48
At the beginning of the year there were 424 capital works contracts in progress and a further 380, with a value of $1,064.112 M., were awarded during the year; of this combined total of 804, 347 were still uncompleted at the end of the year.
2.49 One contract was re-entered during 1973/74, due to poor performance by the construction company. During the year 72 sets of contractors' audited accounts were examined and of these 6 were eventually considered to have insufficient resources to merit inclusion, confirmation or promotion in the P.W.D. list, while 66 cases were approved.
Supplies
2.50
The Supplies Officer, Public Works Department Headquarters, continued to carry out programmed stores inspections of 21 allocated stores in the Public Works Department and, where necessary, gave advice to professional and technical officers as well as supplies personnel on procurement and storehouse operation procedures.
The following posts were also approved for inclusion in the 1974/75 Estimates following a stores survey by the Supplies Officer, P.W.D.H.Q.:-
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