XN000022-1972-11-15 — Page 11

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Wednesday, November 15, 1972

Mr. Luddington said young people are concerned about their city,

neighbours and environment, and City District Officers and others have for

some time been making use of this youthful enthusiasm on which many different

voluntary services rely.

"More could certainly be done to co-ordinate such voluntary effort

will

on a regional basis and I will look into this."

On the question of executive duties for C.D.Os, Mr. Luddington

emphasised that although they do not have any executive powers now, they do

have an ever widening task to improve and maintain the relationships between

the people and the executive departments of Government.

He said he was not against C.D.Os assuming executive duties, but he

was concerned that they should not be given such duties which "could only be

carried out at the expense of their present work." The staff of the C.D.Os.

are already working long hours to meet their present commitments, he added.

"New campaigns and new duties without further staff and "further

accommodation would endanger the contacts which we have established and the

services we do now provide," he said.

Mr. Luddington agreed with Unofficial members on the need for

experienced officers to be posted as C.D.Os. but said the C.D.O. scheme is

not an end in itself.

"Other departments responsible for achieving practical targets in

housing, social welfare, sanitation and recreation must have their share of

the relatively small pool of experience," he said.

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