77 166
8.
proccoded with, it may be found cheaper to have those
'oxtraordinary' works complotod by the Architectural office.
which has already done much of the proparatory work, instead
of lotting thom out to privato architects. In that caso an
immodiato roduction of one onginoor only should bo mado; tho
romaindor of the reductions boing offoctol on the completion
of the buildings.
16. The rocommondations made abovo onvisago that tho
Architectural Office shall take over the construction of
smaller buildings at prosont done by tho Gonorel Works office.
It is proposod that that anomalous sub dopartment shall bo abolished and its work split up amongst the sub dopartments to which it properly bolongo
17. A sub department that is closcly akin to the Architectural
is the Public Health and Buildings Ordinan co Office; for
whoroas the Architectural Offico is concerned with tho
croction of Government buildings, tho Buildings Ordinanco Office is concerned with private building. No building
can be erected or altered in the Colony unless the plan in
respect thereof has been passed by the Buildings Ordinance
Office. Clearly this is a department which occupies a most
responsible position. The Buildings Ordinance Office also
takes action in the case of structures which are in a
dangerous condition.
Witnesses, both members of the Government
and of the public, in giving evidence regarding this department stressed two things. The first was the large amount of work unnecessarily thrown on to it by faultily drawn up plans sont in by privato architects. This results largely from the fact that a number of persons whose names appear on the Hong Kong list of Authorised Architects have no qualifications and ero architocts only in name. The Commissioners recommend that no