30
f
1.
X
475
Lowick, who has been in charge for some time is a capable and trustworthy officer, and I hope that before long he will
have a staff of efficient assistants. There have been one
or two disappointments recently, and it is so essential to
have officers in this sub-department, whose work can be thoroughly relied on that the only course open when it is found that a man is not up to the mark is to terminate his
agreement and send him home.
18.
The Electricity sub-department is developing under Mr. King, who arrived a few months ago, but it is too
early to judge what staff will be required in the future.
19.
In asking for your approval of the
recomendations contained in this despatch as regards
salaries I would draw particular attention to the change
I have proposed in the maximum pay of an engineer from £950 to £1000. As this is the highest salary which the majority
of the Engineers in the department can reach I do not regard
it as excessive. The minimum salary of £460 does not appear to have proved attractive, but I hope that that is a passing phase and that it will soon be possible to obtain satisfact- ory young officers on that basis. It is to be regretted that several engineers have resigned in order to join private firms, being attracted by the very high pay offered, but it
is impossible for the Goverment to bid against the private
employer especially at a time when there is so much building and construction work being done for private persone that
existing firms can afford to pay very highly for assistants.
The engineers who have joined the service
during the last few years vary so greatly in capacity that
I feel it is essential that when one of them turns out to
be really valuable special terms should be offered, Mr.
Pearce, referred to above is a case in point. He joined
the department at the age of thirty-two and is now nearly
thirty-seven. There will no doubt be other cases and
1.
I