Sessional_Paper_1932 — Page 50

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will leave the combined sub-departments with a total senior European staff of seven officers; not an ungenerous allowance, and quite sufficient to supervise the Chinese survey staff, some of whom are still comparatively inexperienced. In a few years it should be possible further to reduce the European staff in this office.

31. The Valuations and Resumptions Officer, half of whose work is for the Estate Duty Commissioner, should as soon as the resumption work in New Kowloon has been completed, a matter of five years or so, be absorbed into the Assessor's office. For the present it is essential that he should be in close and constant touch with the Public Works Department.

32. The Commissioners received complaints of delays by the Crown Lands Office in dealing with applications for land. This they found to be the fault not of the individual officers but rather of the unwieldy system, whereby an application has to be referred to numerous other sub-departments, such as Drainage, Waterworks, etc., before a decision is arrived at. It would be far simpler if areas for development were mapped out in zones in advance. This would enable an application for a site in the area to be speedily granted without the present multiplicity of reference; whilst at the same time publication in the Government Gazette from time to time of the zone areas would prevent applications for sites in areas not available. The zoning' should be in the hands of a standing Zoning Committee under the Chairmanship of the Director of Public Works, and with expert unofficial representatives serving on it

33. The combined Crown Lands and Surveys Office should take over more respon- sibility than it does at present. It should for instance deal with all quarries, quarry leases, sand permits, temporary leases and annual permits in connection with encroachments on Crown Land, without reference to a higher authority, except where a matter of policy is involved. Lease plans should also be signed by the Superintendent. Regarding sand permits the Commissioners would draw attention to the fact that the sand resources of The Colony are being rapidly depleted. The whole inatter requires careful but immediate attention; meanwhile the permit fees should be considerably raised.

34. The Superintendent of Accounts and Stores should remain with duties substan- tially as at present, but the organization of his sub-department should be examined by tinancial and stores experts, who, in consultation with the Director of Public Works and the Superintendent, would evolve the most suitable system of accounting and store keeping. In this connection the Commissioners would remark that on several occasions they called for exact figures. In practically every instance they were assured that the figures would readily be forthcoming; but in no case were they. Figures indeed were produced after an interminable delay--but they were of little or no use. The Commis- sioners believe indeed that the Water and Railway Departments are the only two depart- ments which keep their accounts on a proper basis. The need for cost accounting is imperative. Such a system, which should also provide for the keeping of simple accounts by sub-departments, would cost no more in staff or labour than the present system, which is wholly unreliable and altogether fails to reveal the true position. The salaries etc. of the officers of the Senior and Junior Clerical Staffs would have to be charged to the various departments before the costing figures could be arrived at.

35. On the matter of accounts the Commissioners heard a great deal of evidence. regarding the Allotment Voucher system. This system was devised as a check on the expenditure of money by executive engineers. Unfortunately it appears to have been abused, more in the Hong Kong than in the Kowloon section of the Public Works Depart- ment. Steps should be taken to remedy this by sub-dividing shared votes and by making quarterly allocations in advance. An executive engineer is a responsible officer and paid as such. If he cannot be trusted with responsibility in the spending of public money his services should be dispensed with. To fetter him as is now done only makes for delay.

36. The Commissioners understand that the formation of a central store, with a branch at Kowloon, for all Government departments, except the Medical, has been pro- posed. They do not consider that such a scheme is likely to result in any saving; on the other hand a general store to be of any use would have to be centrally located, which would be uneconomic.

37. There remains the directorate.