PUBLIC WORKS.

Manawatu Standard, Volume LII, Issue 305, 23 November 1932, Page 7

PUBLIC WORKS.

COST OF SUPERVISION. As a result of policy changes in the Public "Works Department necessitated by lack of funds, the percentage which the cost of supervision bears to the total expenditure showed an increase for the year ended June 30, acocrding to the annual report of the former En-gineer-in-Chief, Mr F. W. Furkert, made before his retirement (presented In the Public Works Statement). Mr Furkert says this was inevitable in view, particularly, of three conditions— • (1)' The reduction in the total amount of money spent. (2) The change from large works where hundreds of men were concentrated to small and scattered works. (3) The considerable numbers of men who were supervised on behalf of the Unemployment Board. Large numbers of these men were paid 10s a week, plus food, and were quite inexperienced, and the amount of direction and supervision which their employment involved was probably twice as great as would have been the case with men employed at twice the cost per man under the ordinary piecework system. “Many works throughout this year have been selected for execution principally on the grounds that they did nofc involve any great expenditure for material,” he says. “Such a consideration must carry with it an increased cost of supervision. Furthermore, there has this year been more investigation than usual of schemes which were not proceeded with. The cost of all these investigations cannot be charged against the cost of works which do not proceed, and therefore tend to raise the supervision costs on the works which do proceed. “I would like to acknowledge here the loyal assistance and support I have received throughout the year from the staff as a whole. It has been a hard year, and the necessity for selecting for dismissal hundreds of officers, many of whom I have been associated with almost for life, has been very distasteful. In making the reductions efficiency has been the first consideration, but, ambng others, such questions as family responsibilities, eligibility for superannuation or otherwise, have been given due weight.”