2.
71
160
under one head of department is that he cannot possibly be
expected to cope with the work; re-organization is as
important as, and is the first step towards, retrenchment.
4. In the course of their investigations the Commissioners
observod a tendency on tho part of many of the witnesses
from the Public Works Department to rofrain from responding
to the ovidont necessities of the situation in regard to
retrenchment; some being merely reticent and others frankly
obstructive. After making overy allowance for the circum-
stances the Commissioners feel that a considerable amount of
time might have been saved had the witnesses in question
been less secretive. In certain instances suggestions put
forward by the Commissionors, which would obviously havo met the difficulties referrod to by the witnesses, wo10
received with extreme diffidence.
5. As a commencement the Commissioners recommend the
severance from the Public Works Department of the two Water-
works offices, Maintenance and Construction.
One of the
reasons why the water question has been so mismanaged in the past is because the head of the Water Department has been only one (albeit an important one) of twelve other suh departmental heads competing for the time and attention of the Director of Public Works, with the result that his viows have failed to filter through to the Chief Executive.
6. The Commissioners realize that their proposal to set up a now department may appear to be the reverse of retrenchment but the money spent, in order to bring water to the Colony and to store it during the drought of 1929, sufficiently domonstrates the result of neglecting this all important
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