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ponsible. If he can show that the collapse was due to the fault of his architect, it goes against the architect.

By Bolonel Brown.-In any case the architect comes in, which a man with a good reputation would desire to avoid?

A-A man would do his utmost to prevent anything of that sort. desire to kill anyone.

We have no

By Mr. Shewan.-I suppose a good deal of this work could be delegated by the Director of Public Works to somebody else to deal with, these letters and applications, without taking the trouble to do it all himself?

A--I have no doubt he does. I do not suppose an application in connection with every little matter, say, with the water, although he is Water Authority, is answered by him. I know it is not.

Q-The delay rests, not with the Director of Public Works then, but with some- body he delegates to do the work ?

A-Very often it must be.

Q-He need not sign it; he need not be put to the trouble of attending to it at all; many of these things a subordinate could answer?

A-My experience is that it is not satisfactory to delegate certain work to differ- ent subordinates, but the Director of Public Works could be relieved of a lot of other work, and he would then have more time for the regular Departmental work.

Q-Then you delegate the whole of that work to a subordinate who may be a good man or who may be a bad man ?

A-There are certain things, Mr. SHEWAN, as you must know in your own office, that you permit juniors to sign, but it is only routine work. I do not mean responsi- ble work.

Q-All permits and that sort of work are all signed by Mr. ToOKER, and there is still delay ?

A-There is considerable delay because, I imagine, he has got too much to do. By the Chairman.-Your opinion is that the Department is undermanned ? A-It is my opinion that the Department is undermanned, and that is one of the chief causes of the delays. I do not suppose any member of the Department wastes his time.

By Mr. Shewan.-Would you say that any member of the Department over- worked himself?

A-No, I cannot say that I see them over-exerting themselves.

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C. PALMER, Architect, sworn:-

By the Chairman.- ow long have you been in the Colony?

A-Since February, 1881.

Q--And all that time you have been in your present firm?

A-I have been in practice here as an architect since 1881.

Q-And during that time you have had plenty of experience of the buildings of Hongkong?

A-Yes.