4
Enclosure.
369
C. O.
22090
Surveyor General to Acting Colonial Secretary REOS
No.452.
REC 30 NOW 91!
Surveyor General's Office,
HongKong 25th August 1891.
Sir,
$
In preparing the Estimates for next
year it will probably have been observed that in the draft
submitted on the 24th ultimo the post of Assistant Surveyor
General has been inserted but no amount for salary Las
been filled in. I omitted this in forwarding the Estimate
as I intended to make it the subject of a special communi-
cation. The subject has been for some tane under consider-
ation and it may be well if I give a brief resume of the
Case.
2.
When framing my scheme of reorgani-
sation of the Public Works Department I aid not at the
time propose the appointment of an Assistant Surveyor Ge-
neral but suggested that one of the Executive Engineers
should be selected to perform the duties of the Surveyor
General in the event or his absence on leave or from other
Cause. I was at the time to some extent influenced by the
consideration but as Mr. Cooper was then attached to the
Surveyor General's Depart...ent and he had already acted as
Surveyor General and Assistant Surveyor General he would
be again qualitied to act for the Surveyor General in case
of need. As however he is now detached from the Department
this