1932-04-09 — Page 7

........

IM

SATURDAY, APRIL 9, 1932.

Retrenchment Commission's

Recommendations

Re-organisation of an Unwieldy

the P.W.D. Department

THE CHINA MAIL

this

standard article such as a door strictly temporary staff on its spe or a chair, or where there is a clal salary tende to get itself tran continuous stream of minor referred on to the permanent estab pairs, whether it be to a grating lishment, carrying with it its spe- or to a motor car, it is cheaper cial rate of salary. This has hap to employ direct labour. It is peued in the past:

Government's" Comment. only when there is an intermit tent demand that the advantage Paragraph 18-Government is in lies with the tender system. A general agreement with word of warning maat, however, paragraph, but each work will have be added. Strict control should to be dealt with on Its merits. The be exercised to ensure that under second section of the Shing Mun the guise of direct casual labour, Water Works' scheme, for example, there is not included personnel will probably be carried out by whilst the which should appear in and be temporary" staff,”⠀ paid from Personal Emoluments. hydrographic survey of the harbour Another irregular proceeding of is being done by temporary staff a somewhat similar nature is the specially engaged by Government inclusion in the Estimates under for the purpose. Loan Works of permanent staff engaged on loan works.

14. Alphabetically the first of}} staff should be 'shown under the the sub-departments is the Archi- Personal Emoluments sub-head tectural. The work of this depart- of the department to which they ment is the maintenance of all belongi

Government buildings and the con- Government's Comment. struction of large new ones. On Paragraph 11-Government is maintenance work two engineers satisfied that the further extension and seven overseers' are engaged. sent moment. They appreciate the of the system of departmental The greater part of this work as value and desirability of price-execution of small works would be regards the time it takes is of a eesting water; but here again in- uneconomic, entailing as it would finicky and trivial nature, such as creased expenditure would be the capital outlay for workshops, etc. repairs to door knobs, etc. To em- immediate result, for to do this pro- The Government considers that the ploy qualified European engineers perly would entail the engagement present aystem is more economical on such work is extravagant. One of extra staff. The suggestion is than that suggested by the Com-engineer is required to supervise however being carefully examined, missionera.

the maintenance work generally but

SEVERANCE OF WATERWORKS ADVOCATED COMMISSIONERS SAY THAT THE BUILDING ORDINANCĖ MUST BE COMPLETELY RE-DRAFTED:

INSTALMENT I.

The Commission, of which Mr. M. J. Breen was Chairman, and of which Mr. J. J. Patterson, Mr. J. Scott Harston and Mr. W. N. T. Tam were members reported as follows, on the results of their extensive inquiries, to the Government of Hong Kong..

1.-The Public Works Department is the largest of the Government Departments, including as it does thirteen sub-departments, some of which are larger than an ordinary department. It is the department. with which the public in one way or another most fre- quently comes in contact. Also it is the one which spends more money than any other. For these reasons it is not unnatural that it should be the target for a good dent of criticism, both justifiable and unjustifiable. 2. The department consists of a Director of Public Works, the Assistant Directors of Public Works, ons for Hong Kong and one for Kowloon and New Terri- Architectural, tories, and thirteen sub-departments - Drainage, Electrical, General Works, Port Develop ment, Public Health and Buildings Ordinance Offico, Roads, Piers and Bridges, Waterworks (Maintenance), Waterworks (Construction), Crown Lands, Surveys, Valuations and Resumptions, and Accounts and Stores. In charge of each sub-department is an executive en- gineer, except for Waterworks (Construction) where there is an Assistant Director of Public Works, and except also for Crown Lands, Surveys, and Accounts, and Stores, for each of which there is a Superinten- dent, and valuations and Resumptions which consists (European staff) of one engineer and one overseer only.

at present into Construction and Unwieldy. 3.The first thing that struck Maintenance, the latter under an the Commissioners was the un-executive engineer responsible to wieldiness of this conglomera- the head of the Waterworks De- tion of departments all grouped partment, the former under the under the one head.

In no direct control of the head. The other Colony of any size are Commissioners do not recom- Waterworks, Crown Lands, or mend any reduction in the staffs Surveys for instance, under the of these two sub-departments Director of Public Works. In Hong Kong is behindhand with many Electricity is a department present requirements, instead of by itself. The natural result of being five years ahead as is con- putting so much under one head sidered the minimum by water of department is that he cannot authorities elsewhere. There is possibly be expected to cope a full ten years' programme in with the work; re-organisation is front of the department. as important as, and is the first step towards, retrenchment.

Tenders.

Such

Architectural,

To charge the consumer the full

the other should be dispensed with. production cost of the water he con- 12. On the subject of tenders It would seem logical that the main- sumes is a matter of poljey, in and contracts the Commission- tenance branch of the Architectural which connection its effect on the ers have three recommendations office should take over the care of puorer sections of the community to make. The first is that the Government furniture, at present should not be lost sight of.

Ilst of contractors should be kept done by the Stores branch of the The Government feels constrain- by the Chairman of the Tender Accounts and Stores sub-depart- Commissioners did ed to express its disagreement with Board, under whose control and ment, but the the views expressed in the latter custody should also be the ten not go fully into this question. The part of paragraph 5. The Gov-der box (at present it is with Government should consider which ernment is unaware of any occasion the Chief Clerk at the Secretar-would be the most economical. on which the views of the Water ist); the box to be opened only in 15. On the constructional side of Department on any matters of im-his presence and that of one other the sub-department there are six portance have failed to filter member of the Board. Secondly, engineers (excluding the Executive through to the Chief Executive.' that tenders for large contracts Engineer), and

Alteration of Financial Year.

four Overseers.

'extra-

Where the Government has declin- should be called for in three suc Bearing in mind what has been said ed to accept the views of the Water cessive issues of the Government above on the employment of staff Department there have been rea- Gazette. This will ensure that for major new works, and the fact sons which at the time appeared all who wish to tender will have that there will be very little new! adequate, and the position of the the opportunity of so doing work of any sort undertaken in the head of the Water Department Thirdly, that where a penalty is course of the next few years, this would certainly have been no incurred by a contractor the mat-staff is too large. It should be re- stronger had his department been ter should be reported to the dused by three engineers and two separated from the Public Works Board, which after consideration overeers, If, however, the new of the circumstances would make Government Civil Hospital Lad Gaol Department.

recommendations to the Gover-re proceeded with, it may be found 10. Before dealing with the ment. It must be remembered cheaper to have these remaining sub-departments in that money due to Government ordinary works completed by the detail there are certain general under a penalty is public money Architectural office, which has al- recommendations which concern and should not be remittel ex-ready done much of the preparatory them all. The first in fact will cept with the authority of the work, instead of letting them out to affect all Government depart Governor in Council. It is under-private architects. In that case an ments. This is that the financial stood that the system of pay immediate reduction of one engineer year be altered from 1st January.ment of a bonus, to a contractor only should be made; the remainder 31st December to 1st April-31at for work completed, in good time of the reductions being effected on March. For accounting and or has recently been adopted in the the completion of the buildings. dinary administration purposes Public Works Department. The 16 The 'recommendations made the dates are immaterial, but Commissioners endorse the sys- above envisage that the Architec

tural Office shall take over the con- from the engineering standpoint they are most important.

The

'Government's Comment.

struction of smaller buildings at Winter months October to March Paragraph 12-The Chairman of present done by the General Works are the dry months and hence the Tender Board, to whom this office. It is proposed that that the best building months. Whe paragraph has been referred, con- anomalous sub-department shall be ther it is building a new house or siders that no advantage would abolished and its work split up re-decorating an old one, build be gaired or economy resulted amongst the sub-departments to ing a road or cutting down a hill, by adopting the first and third which it properly belongs. the work can best be done when suggestions. Government concurs. a continuous spell of fine Wee- The second is already the invari ther can be relied on. In tender able pracfice. The third sug is satisfied that the present system ing, the contractor takes into his gestion is in direct conflict with the whereby the care of furniture le calculation the number of wet policy of entrusting heads of de-attended to by the stores branch days there are likely to be, when partments and sub-departments is the most satisfactory Thero no work is being done by his with responsibility, which is stress-in only one engineer engaged on workmen who have to be pakled so strongly elsewhere in the Re-maintenance work. The normal re- all the same. But a more seri- pert.

quirements of the office are four

tem.

Government's Comment.bu Paragraph 14-16-Government

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8.-An indirect result of tak- ing. Waterworks out of the Public Works Department is to relieve Witnesses Reproved.

the Public Works Department 4. In the course of their in- Unallocated Stores of having to vestigations the Commissioners "carry the large amount of observed a tendency on the part Waterworks stores. By Colonial of many of the witnesses from Regulations Unallocated Stores the Public Works Department to of the Public Works Department refrain from responding to the may not exceed 4 lakhs of this evident necessities of the situa- 4 lakhs Waterworks takes up tion in regard to retrenchment: about 2 lakhs, which leaves a some being merely reticent and quite indufficient margin for the othera frankly obstructive. remaining sub-departments. After making every allowance 9. Opportunity should be for the circumstances the Com- taken of the re-organisation of missioners feel that a consider the administration of the pas objection is that with the fin- 13. -—It was said in paragraph engineers in addition to the Execu- able amount of time might have Waterworks office to put upon a nncial year ending on 31st De 11 that where there is an tive Engineer. This is the post- sat ni sind mei pa been saved had the witnesses in proper basis the method by cember all maintenance contracts intermittent demand the "ten- tion to-day, for three engineers are question been less secretive. In which payment is made for automatically come to an end, der system is more ad- engaged on loan works. On the certain instances suggestions put water consumed. As from Work stops right in the middle vantageous. This applies equal termination of these works they forward by the Commissioners, January 1, 1927 the year of of the dry season. If the same ly to personnel. If there is a will either be absorbed into vacan- which would obviously have met the first existing Public Works contractor gets the contract for programme of constructional work cies in the Public Works Depart the difficulties referred to by the Loan the Colony's water the succeeding year all I well, artending over a considerable period ment that may then exist, or their dri witnesses, were received with should be price costed. A valua- but that is by no means the rule of years, as in the cases of water services will be dispensed with. I extreme diffidence.

tion should be put upon the quite rightly. The result is works, it is probably cheaper to em- is anticipated however, that the Waterworks.

value at that date of the water- that several valuable days or ploy a permanent staff. But where construction of a new Gaol, Gov- 5.-As a commencement the works reservoirs, machinery; even weeks are lost. The change there is no such programme, it is ment Civil Hospital, Mental Ej on- Commissioners recommend the land, etc. To the cost of inter over would not be difficult, where very much cheaper to have a small pital Infectious Diseases Hospital severance from the Public Works est and sinking fund charges in as the saving would be consider staff sufficient for maintenance work and other large works will keep Department of the two Water-respect of the 1927 and subse

and minor constructional works, them fully occupied for the next few works offices, Maintenance, and quent loans for waterworks

Government's Comment. |e.g.,, markets," latrines, etc., and years. <Construction. One of the rea- should be added all incidental ex-

Paragraph 10. This proposal when any big work is undertaken, Public Health and Buildings sons why the water question has penses that are incurred inde has received careful consideration such as a hospital, to let the work 17-A subdepartment that been so mismanaged in the past livaring water to the individual. It le doubtful if the change in the out to privata enterprise. Other closely Akin to the Architectural is is because the head of the Water, salaries, pensione, and pass financial year would have any ap-wise it will be found that Department has been only one ages of staff maintenance of preciable effect on the speeding up soon as the large works Ordinance Office; for, whereas the

as the Public Health and Buildings THREE STAR (albeit an important one) of office buildings, etc., etc. It will of the work, while there are by completed the department will be Architectural Once 16 concerned twelve other sub-departmental then be possible to see, exactly ous disadvantages in the propos saddled with the cost of a large staff with the crection of Government heads competing for the time how much it costs to produce the calendar year being the most far in excess of normal require balldings, the Baildings Ordinance and attention of the Director of gallon, of water. This gallon of Public Works, with the result water should be sold as a com- convenient for statistical purposes mente. That to a certain extent is on concerned with alpha that his views have failed to fil-mercial article, rufficient being The disadvantages of this pro- the position in the Public Works building No (billding,

posal appear to outweigh the ad Department to day. It must also be ter through to the Chief Execu-charged to cover its cost of pro-vantages, and it is therefore not remembered that once as piller had the plan in respect the

duction. As a corollary.. there

proposed to adopt it...

Büfla The Commissioners 'realise will be no water rate) except

Direct Labour. that their, proposal to set up a for water required for public pur- -new department may appear to poses much sa street cleansing

be the reverse of retrenchment, no free allowance, and the rider but the tacney spent, In order to main system will have to be aban- bring water ta the Colony and to doned.

tive:

store, it during the drought

1929, sufficiently demonstrates the result of neglecting this all

Important questions They :stro)

prepared

Government's. Comment."-

able.

11 Another general, recom- mendation is that the system direct labour and the

of small works by the vario närt

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