CANDID CRITICISM

Evening Post, Volume CI, Issue 50, 28 February 1921, Page 8

CANDID CRITICISM

'A MINISTERS INVITATION

PUBLIC WORKS OF DOMINION

CONFERENCE OF ENGINEERS.

Plain speaking and- fearless criticism .were advocated by the Minister of Public Works (The Hon. J. G. Coates) when opening a conference of engineers of the Public Works Department this morning. 3VIr. Coates emphasised the fact that much of the success of the Department must rest with the men in charge of districts, and said it was therefore essential i.hat they should give their views frankly on the many, subjects engaging the Attention of the Department. Mr. P. "W. Furkert (Under-Secretary of the '■Department) presided. The. Minister congratulated Mr. Turkert for calling the conference to discuss the many questions affecting the Department. He hoped each officer present would'be quite'candid in his criticism ■of Head' Office, for even had they what might be looked on as a fine organisation, it could always be improved. .■Mr. Coates spoke-of-the necessity for unity -. between the various branches of the Department, and referred to the need for every district engineer being in j ■ & position to say what was the most ■urgent-work in his district. Mr. Coates , referred; at length to the question of organisation. What was sought was a Department of State, which performed effectively and expeditiously matters .affecting construction and development. To do this-there were required intelligent , men distributed throughout the country (each the head of his section) receiving instruction from a clear-headed Head Office'staff. \ -\&' CALL FOR INITIATIVE. ■ "The-, tendency of office organisation," he said, "is .to centralise. In time this fiecomes a fetish and is carried to • such a length that men in charge of districts cannot use their initiative or their capa,city, and the whole organisation becomes Jethargic and relies on routine instructions from Head;' Office." This, he continued, increased the routine staff at the Head Office and destroyed the initiative of the officers in the field. He spoke of the need, for new regulations to assist in the smooth working of the Depart- , ment, and said .by following regulated methods with a thorough understanding between Head Office and the districts the work could be simplified, made more thorough, more effective, and, what was more important, the work of the Department could be brought more into touch with the man in the street. The trend of efficient organisation was towards decentralisation, perfect control, howevei', being kept by Head Office. The whole Department was judged by its ability to accomplish a policy laid down by the Government of the day, a state of affairs attainable by the executive officers seeing that the policy and wishes, of the Government were being correctly interpreted by all subordinate officers. 'Tor smooth running and thorough understanding we cannot separate the administrative officer from the professional officer; each must know where •his work begins and where it ends. If • the members of this conference will, ■without reserve and without hesitation, say what is their candid opinion on all each opinion will be carefully ■•considered.* CLOSER TOUCH WANTED. The Minister then suggested a number of matters i which the conference might "well discuss. He invited a discussion on administratioti, asked for suggestions for removing any- disabilities at present existing^ and asked the conference to consider whether the time had arrived for the Head Office to perfect a man in organisation and. to place him at the disposal of branch offices. No doubt, ho said, tho conference would w:sK to discuss matters, of detail in regard to methods of construction and the machinery tised.'jMr.; Coates suggested that at present he was not cjbsely enough in touch with district heads in regard .to the value of the works in their districts. The need for a closer touch he demonstrated by asking what would happen if he took up a policy of dictation in regard to'tha public works of the Dominion. In suca a case if he were challenged he would have only his own opinion and,,.possibly,-that of the Chief Engineer, to back up his decision. Anyone must r admit that it was far better for thefMinister to be fortified" by the opiniort'of'the men in'charge of the districts concerned. '•■■■.■" THE ORDER OF URGENCY. Mr, Coates also spoke of the need for i a decision as to the order of urgency of the works to be undertaken, and said ■that each district officer should make it' !his business to form an opinion as to the urgency of the works in his area. (Definite decisions of this sort were invaluable, and, in this connection, he ■hoped the conference would consider the question of urgency as applied to the ■wiole of New Zealand. -Speaking of local bodies' roads, Mr. Coates suggested that the conference should consider whether the present methods are' satisfactory, whether the > district engineers were satisfied, whether the.', district engineers should bo in closer 'touch with the accountancy branch—the most important of all the branches now ;—and whether the engineers, before making their recommendations as to the ' -works required in their districts, should i -be given an indication of the amount i likely to be allocated to the district. ' The conference might well consider what ! principles should guide engineers ■in 'allocating moneys. ■ ■ ' ; , Having touched upon the question of J fcha' co-operation of local authorities, Mr. ; Coates said the Conference, should discuss the matter of main roads. The Department had certain proposals in this ' connection, but a' general discussion ' would be of value certainly to him. Other matters for discussion were the ! i question of the contract system versus co-operative labour, and irrigation. Irrigation must, at some future date when more money was available, play a very important part in certain districts. 'Hydro-electric development must occupy a prominent place at such, a conference, i and he suggested that the main issues were whether the work should be under the' Public Worka Department or whether it should be controlled by, a new Department. In the present state of affairs he thought it wise to keep the ■work under tno existing Department. There must be thorough co-ordination in the Department, and there must be a clear understanding as to where the work of :the two branches began and ended. .:;' GUIDED BY ADVICE. The Minister referred to the need for considering the questions of stores, Government housing, land purchase, and the tramway regulations, and then again em--1 phssised the need for plain speaking. "I have my own very definite ideas," he said, "but at the same time, I am not 'going to stack hard and fast to an opinion which is not -workable, T can only come to a proper oondnsion on the matters coining before me by knowing what • Head Office opinion is and wiiat branch office opinion is, and I am not one to pin my faith abaoJnteiy to H«ad Office ■unless I "katyfr it as ri#rt. ... So long as I can Z&? * oonnnoiwenße reason for -my dceraians I hare no need to fear." The ecnfej«ie»'<tfc«* proceeded to «hs- < cues sxi ■psState'Ha*TßDßi(4e»-'fcJwa®ht t>&> -for© "iwi ■ % -