CO129-534-3 Report of Retrenchment Commission 4-5-1931 - 19-2-1932 — Page 168

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Hong Kong, that is responsible for so much shoddy building.

The law should, if possiblo, bo tightened up considerably

in this rospect, and modern methods onforced to the

exclusion of the obscloto and dangerous ones now provailing.

For the present the Commissioners do not consider that

the large staff of six onginoors and ton ovorsoors in tho

Buildings Ordinance Office can be cut down. When thero is a

now ordinance tho staff can bo roducod. It is essential that

the rovision should not be dolayed.

19.

20. The Architectural and Buillings Ordinance Officos should

be considered as ono office for the purpose of circulation of

staff. The hoads of both should be fully qualified architects.

The titlo 'archi toct' might well be substituted for that of

I

cngineer in the case of sonior officers of those sub

departments.

Such a nomcne la turo would be more in accordance

with roality, or what should be roality.

21. It has already boon statod that the existing General Works

Office should be abolished and its work split up amongst othor

sub departments. With minor building construction handed over

to the Architectural Office thoro is loft drainago, road

construction and miscellaneous works. The former should bo

taken over by the prosont Drainage Office; roads construction

by the prosont Roels Maintenance Office. Tho prosont division

of roads work into two separato sub dopartments is ludicrous, ospccially hon it is realised that the surfacting of a now

road is done by the maintenance and not by the constructional (i.o. Conoral Works) offico, with the result that road

construction ostinatos arc misleading.

of the Commissioners do not stop horo.

The regrouping propo sals

They advocate the

amalgamation of the onlar god Roads and Drainago officos into