clearly indicated that no improvements could be achieved unless better repair facilities, increased technical control and adequate tools and equipment were provided. Since these would involve substantial capital expenditure, which in the prevailing financial climate could not be fully justified, the project was shelved.
8.16 Following satisfactory trials on plastic type International Standard Traffic Bollards a decision was taken to substitute these for the old-fashioned cast iron bollards which have been in use throughout Hong Kong for a large number of years. A total of 1,050 units with spares was purchased during the year and by the end of that period over 600 had been installed. The expected saving due to lower equipment cost, lower electricity consumption, and the obviation of painting is in the region of $180,000 per annum.
8.17 The Section continued to obtain, correlate and provide to Government Supplies Department, technical data and equipment lists from which forecasts of adequate spares holdings could be made. In this connection, comprehensive lists of domestic refrigerators and grass cutting machines maintained by Workshops were prepared according to make, type, capacity and age. Assistance was given with the determination of priorities for air freighted spare parts and the compilation of initial spares holdings for those specialist vehicles and equipment which, although increasingly varied and more complex are, by individual type, comparatively few in number.
8.18 An investigation was started, and was still in progress at the end of the year, into the administrative and maintenance systems currently used in respect of domestic electrical appliances to ascertain if economy could be made in clerical effort and achieve rationalisation between Workshops.
8.19 Staffing difficulties remained unsolved at the end of the year. Three experienced officers were still on loan to Workshops assisting with specific managerial tasks and three vacancies remained frozen.
Vehicle Design and Procurement Section
8.20 This Section is responsible for the preparation of vehicle and mobile plant specifications, including specialised plant and equipment, the design of non-standard vehicle bodies, co-ordination of Government's annual vehicle requirements, contracts for vehicle bodywork construction, bodywork repair and repainting, construction of refuse handcarts and bulk containers and the supervision of such contracts. It is also responsible for the Transport Pool within the Government fleet.
8.21 During the year 301 new vehicles were received and put into service and 242 vehicles were withdrawn from service. Vehicle body construction work completed included one forty-seater bus, two thirty-seater buses, one twenty-two-seater bus, one 3-ton Pantechnicon, one cemetery van, five mail bag trailers, four Trans tania refuse collection containers, three parking-meter coin-collection vans, an aluminium body for a 3-ton postal van, fifteen ambulances together with the supply and
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