April 21, 1902.1
of supervising the roads outside the City of Victoria. Mr. Chatham is also of opinion that one Overseer should devote his entire time to telegraphs and telephones. The Commission endorses that opinion and recommends is adoption.
Mr. Tooker recommends that iron poles should be substituted for the timber poles now in use.
Mr. Chatham also advises the same course, which the Commission thinks should be followed.
CEMETERY.
13. In view of the sbifting nature of the po- pulation of Hongkong, the Commissiou strongly recommends that the care of all the monuments in the Cemetery should be undertaken by the Government--8 recommendation which it has the less hesitati n in making, as the estimated extra expenditure involved is trifling.
BUILDING ORDINANCE.
14. A new Building Ordinance has been drafted and is at present before the Legis lative Council. It is not, therefore, necessary for the Commission to enter into details regarding that measure, which is now being carefully considered by the public The and will be fully discussed elsewhere. question of the staff required to carry out the Building Ordinance, so far as the Public Works Department is concerned, is one which comes within the purview of the Commission. The present staff consists of 1 Executive En- gineer, 1 Assistant Engineer, and 1 Overseer, The increase in the staff proposed by Mr Chatham is two Inspectors or Overseers.
The Commission is not certain whether the increase proposed will be sufficient, but it might be given a trial, aud, if it proves insufficient, the staff should be still further strengthened.
WATER AND DRAINAGE.
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CHINA OVERLAND TRADE REPORT. satisfactory to the public. There have been numerous complaints of delay especially recent- ly, and Mr Chatham conf sses that such com- plaints are justified. lle, however, points ont that the staff dealing with land has not been properly constituted, ren·loring it impossible to cons dérable overtake the works. For some period-about two years-the work had been conducted by the Officer who had hitherto filled He is of opinion, the post of Land Bailiff. however, that with the staff as now constitut d. constisting of a Lard Surveyor, an Assistant Surveyor and a Land Bailiff, there ought to difficulty in carrying on the work be no
a satisfactory manner. From the evi- dence of Mr. King. Land Bailiff. it seems that the co-operation between the Public Works Department and the Police; who can give much valuable assistance in the direc- tion of preventing illegal squatting on land. has not been so close as is desirable. The Com- sure that it will be sufficient mission feels merely to call attention to this matter to secure clusor co-operation in future.
in
301
the Crown Agents, the Commission thought it only fair to all parties concerned that those statements should le thoroughly investi- gated. though the Crown Agents system was not referred to it for enquiry and report. Mr. Denison in his evidence stated that he knew an instance in which he was purchasing iron for his clients at a much cheaper rate than that at which it was being supplied at the same time to the Colony by the Crown Agents.
any
From certain correspondence it appears that Mr. Denison is mistaken and that, as a matter of fact, the Crown Agents were supplying the Colony with iron at a cheaper rate than tha at which Mr. Denison obtained it for his was also stated by a member clients. . It of the Commission that the Crown Agents had forwarded a consigument of cement to Hongkong without having received requisition the usual way from the Government. The documents in Appendix No. 23 show
the cement that
duly in question was ordered by the Director of Tublic Works, Mr. Crmsby, who appears to have forgotten that he had sent his order and to have misled 18. Mr. Hughes, in his evidence, drew at others into believing that the Crown Agents tention to the want of office accommodation. had forwarded the cement without authority. who have had practical This matter is receising attention, and it is Thes witnesses hoped by Mr. Chatham that he will be able to experience of the Crown Agent system, includ provide accommodation sufficient for the staffing Mr. Chadwick, all speak highly of it, and recommended by lim.
the Commission is of opinion that it works well and that it would not be easy to substitute for it any other system that would work so satisfactorily.
OFFICE ACCOMMOI ATION.
ENTRUSTING GOVERNMENT WORK TO PRIVATE FIRMS.
19. One question on which a good deal of evidence was given was whether it is de- sirabin to entrust the carrying out of Go- vernment work to private firms. The evidence not show clearly that such given does
course would, as a
rule, lead to either greater efficiency; better work or saving of 15. Mr Chadwick is of opinion that Water public expenditure, whilst, as Mr Chadwick and Drainage should be reconstituted as a points ont, there are objections to giving ont separate Department independent of the Public Goverument work in the manner proposed, and difficulties as to selection of firms which Works Department, whilst Mr. Chatham con- siders that such a separation is undesirable, but could not be easily met. After careful con- recommends that, whilst Water and Drainage sideration and in view of the fact that remains a sub-department of the Public Works Mr. Chatham states that the stuff, if increased Department, it should be strengthened by ap. as proposed by him, will be sufficient to carry pointing one Executive Engineer to be in out all works involving an expenditure equal charge of the Water only and another Executo that for which provision is made in the tive Engineer to be in charge of the Drainago, Estimates for 1902, the Commission is not in instead of having only one Executive Engine r favour, under ordinary circumstances of giving in charge of both Water, and Drainage as at out public works to private firms, and is of present, and by the appointment of a more opinion that this should not be done except in responsible Clerk to take charge of the Water cases of a special naturs or of urgency, when the staff of the Public Works Department is accounts. Whilst fully sensible of the value of the opinion of an expert of such experience as Mr. not able to carry out the work Chadwick, the Commission is of opinion that, with a view to concentration and to the saving of increased expense, which almost invariably results from the creation of separate depart ments, it would be well to follow the advice of Mr. Chatham and to s'rengthen the staff engaged on Water and Drainage in the manner proposed by him, but not to reconstitute it as a separate department.
ARCHITECTS.
20 Mr. Galo is of pinion that two of the Assistant Engineers in the Public Works Department should be qualified Architects, Mr. Chatham agrees with that opinion, and the Commission recommends that it be adopted.
SUMMARY OF INCREASE OF AFF, ND
ESTIMATED ADDITIONAL EXPENDITURE, 21. The increase in the staff of the Public the
As to the general question of the water-Works Department recommended by supply, though it has not been directly referred to it for enquiry and report, the Commission ventures to invite attention to the evidence given regarding it by the rarions witnesses, The evidence shows that provision for in- creased water-supply has not been made co rapidly as the necessity of the case demanded.
Commission beyond what is provided in the Estimates for 1902, may be summarised as follows:-
!
The Commission regards the questions of water-supply as one of immediate and pressing urgency, and desires to record its opinion that steps should be taken forthwith to put in hand such schemes as can be most rapidly carried out with a view to placing the Colony well ahead of its requirements instead of allowing it to lag behind in that respect. The question is not only one of present urgency, but one which concerns the future. The importance of not only providing against actual requirements but ako possible future wants cannot be too strongly insisted on, as the prosperity of the Colony and the welfare of its inhabitants now and in the future are intimately connected with an adequate supply of water.
LIGHTING.
1 Executive Engineer for tle supervision of
Extraordinary Works.
1 Executive Engineer for Drainage or
Water-works.
1 Assistant Eegiceer for general Main tenance Work (Government Build Jugs, Roads. &c).
1 Overseer for Roads inside the City. 1 Overseer f. 1 Telephones.
2 Overseers or Inspectors for performing the duties imposed on the Public Works Department by the Building O diuances.
1 Overseer for Water-works, City and Hill
District.
1 Experienced Clerk to take charge of the
Water accounts.
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DISCHARGE OF DUTIES BY P.W.D. FROM 1ST Oct., 1899, TO 30TH SEPT, 1900 3. The s cond subject of reference on which the Commission was appointed to report is stated in the Commission as follows:-
The manner in which the duties devolving npon the Public Works Department have boon performed during the period of two years preceding the 1st day of October, 1901.
In view of the evidence given to the Commis- sion, it is of opinion that, owing to insufficiency of staff, it was not possible for the Depart- ment to discharge its duties thoroughly. Through wunt of staff, public works, includ ing water-works, have been delayed and the general business of the Department has not been conducted with that promptitude which the Commission regards as most necessary and desirable,
24. In conclusion, the Commission recom- mends that no expenditure on account of public works should be included in the yearly Esti- mates, unless there is every reason to anticipate that such moneys will be expended during the financial year, and that such works as are approved in those Estimates should be taken in hand without delay and not postponed unless for exceptional reasons.
J. H. STEWART LOCKHART.
(Chairman).
JOHN THURburn, L. F. BROWN, Col. GODFREY C. C. MASTER. Hougkong, 29th March, 19.2.
I agree with the above report except that I ain not of the opinion that the Crown Agent system works well. I think the Government would be better served by its own Agents, under its own orders, when the Government could change when dissatisfied. I do not think that the Crown Agents shonld be entrusted with the floating of loans. That should be don through a bank or financial tirm of first-class standing.
ROBERT SHEWAN.
Some time ago the Japanese Government decided in favour of the establishment of a Commercial College in Kyushu, says the Nagasaki Press, and on learning of this the Nagasaki authorities at once declared their readiness to contribute Yen 150,000 toward the building fund, in consideration of the site of the college being fixed here. The latest news of the matter is that the Government has decided in favour of this town, and the work of building is to be started almost at once, with a view to its completion within three years. The loc 1 authorities will there- fore call a meeting of the Prefectural Assom- bly at an early date, in order to secure its 22. In view of the statemen's made regarding approval of the appropriation of the sum named.
The present staff is not up to the strength provided for in the 1902 Estimates, which accounts for the apparent disparity between the summary given above and the increase of staff referred to in the evidence, which refers entirely to the staff in existence when the Commission was first appointed. The expenditure account of these increases in the staff beyond that provided for in the Estimates for 1902, 17. The evidence given to the Commission | is estimated at $29,500. shows that the work of the Department as re- gards land has not been carried out in a mauneṛ
16. The Commission is of opinion that the lighting of the Queen's Road between Fletcher Street and Arsenal Street should be improved.
LAND WORK.
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CROWN AGENT SYSTEM.
on
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