t
:
Salary of Harveyor As compared
with that of engineer.
Power of Superiuten- dent of Crown Lands.
Separate
Survey Dept.
Second branch of inquiry,
Sub-heads
of branch !!
of Inquiry.
High cost of land causes high rent.
12
Survey Office (see document attached to Enclosure 8 (4)). We are of the opinion that such transfers should, as far as possible, be avoided, if not altogether stopped, for it is obviously hard on an office to have now and again one of its officers taken away just as he is fully getting into his work. Moreover his transfer to another office must necessarily involve some waste of time in getting into the routine of his new duties.
63. Mr. Parker Rees stated that the main reason for surveyors seeking such transters is that the salaries of engineers are higher than those of surveyors of corresponding grades. He expressed the opinion (see pages 30, 31 and 32 of his evidence in Enclosure 8 (4), and statement attached thereto) that a surveyor should receive as much as an engineer, because that would stop the constant and inconvenient transfers complained of. He also sub- mitted a comparative statement (attached to Enclosure 8 (4)) of the salaries of surveyors and engineers respectively in Ceylon and the Federated Malay States. This matter is one for the Government and not for the Com- missioners to deal with.
* 64. We recommend the adoption of Mr. Parker Rees' suggestion that the Superintendent of Crown Lands be given the same power as an Assistant Director of Public Works to communicate with the Colonial Secretary direct, as for and on behalf of the Director of Public Works. By so doing much circumlocution will be avoided, and he will be more directly responsible for the work of his own branch being carried on with speed and diligence. We would add that in the Federated Malay States and Ceylon the Survey Department seems to be distinct and separate from the Public Works Department, and we think that the Government should con- sider the advisability of creating a separate Survey Department in the Colony, as tending to fix responsibility and to the speedier dealing with applications for land.
65. We now proceed to consider the second branch of our Inquiry, namely:-
II.-Measures for Decreasing the Cost of Housing Accommodation.
66. This branch is dealt with under the following 3 sub-heads :—
(1) Cost of land.
(2) Cost of house-building:
(a) Constructional.
(b) Materials.
(3) Measures for decreasing rental.
Sub-Head (1)-Cost of Land.
67. As stated in para. 31, under Branch I of our Inquiry, the cost of Crown land is the most serious factor in connection with the cost of building in the Colony. It is also clear that one cardinal factor for securing the desired reduction in the cost of housing accommodation must be the prevention of building sites being made the subject of speculation, by restrictions against alienation; for it is obvious that the higher the price of the site, the greater must be the cost of the completed whole-the land plus the building, and consequently the higher must be the rent which the tenant has to pay.
In paras. 31 to 34 we have made recommendations on this subject.
13
Sub-Head (?) Cost of House-Building: (a.) Constructional.
68. The recommendations under this sub-head are in most cases based on suggestions made in the letters contained in Enclosure 1. There are other suggestions in that enclosure which we have discarded as being either impracticable or inadvisable.
69. The consensus of opinions, in which we concur, expressed in the various letters in Enclosure 1, is that the standardisation of the designs for houses will reduce the cost of buildings, and will render the work of the Buildings Office in examining plans much lighter. This opinion is shared by Mr. Jackman, Mr. White and Mr. Lam Woo (see their statements in Enclosures 8 (5), (3) and (2) respectively).
* 70. With the view of arriving at a good standard type of house suitable for accommodating the Chinese working classes, we make the following recommendations:---
(1) That the Government invite from the Public designs for standard
types of houses for the Chinese working classes, divided into-
Class 1-Reinforced concrete houses of two, three and four
storeys.
Class 2.--Brick houses of two, three and four storeys. Such designs must be accompanied with sufficient details to explain the construction, and with an accurate estimate of the cost, exclusive of foundations.
(2) That the Government offer 4 prizes for the accepted designs, namely, a first prize of $2,500 in each class, and a second prize of $1,000 in each class.
Suggestions received.
Standar-lisa- Lion of
Designs of atsudord types of houses to be invited.
Prizes for
accepted
designs.
competitor to have right to build on bis design,
(3) That the successful competitors be required to build a block of Successful
houses specified in their accepted designs, in order to check any wrong estimating of the cost of building, and at the same time to give to the successful competitors the opportunity of showing that their plans will successfully stand the test of actual application.
Reasons for
71. In making these recommendations we are influenced by the fact that a standard design (a print of which, with Bills of Quantities, should type houses.
be supplied, on application, by the Public Works Department) must lead to cheapness of erection, inasmuch as it will enable contractors to know exactly what is required. This will obviate the present natural tendency of con- tractors to add a considerable sum to their tenders to cover the cost of contingencies, and will also standardise the materials to be used in each class, thus further aiding in cheapening the cost of building. The letters recommending the standardising of designs of houses are (22), (34), (39), (41), (42) and (43); and the use of standardised fixtures and fittings are (10), (36), (42), (43) and (51) in Enclosure 1.
72. Various suggestions for designing and building cheap houses are referred to above in paras. 25 and 38 to 41.
* 73. As regards the standardisation of fixtures and fittings for houses, we recommend—
(1) That, as far as possible, the sizes of doors and windows he standardised, and so lead to standard-sized openings and frames and glazing fittings, thus saving time, labour and material-(see letters (24) (35) and (36) in Enclosure 1).
(2) That encouragement should be given by architects, contractors and house builders to locally-made fittings, such as brass bolts, casement stays, grip-handles, etc., which can be produced satis- factorily in this Colony according to letter (10) in Enclosure 1.
Cheap houses
Standardlisa-
tion of
fixtures, &c.
365