REGULATIONS AND INSPECTORS.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXVIII, Issue 20947, 10 August 1931, Page 13

REGULATIONS AND INSPECTORS.

Sir, —At a time when departmental economy is of pnmo importance to our struggling country wo have our legislators creating still moro regulations to enforce upon the building community and proposing to fritter away somo £25,000 per annum on research work. Surely tho Minister ol Public Works, without any additional staff, could obtain from the New Zealand Institute of Architects recommendations for a set of regulations governing building construction and its relation to earthquakes, such regulations to be subject to revision periodically in order to allow for new experience and the introduction of new materials. Tbo en- j forcement of the regulations as applicable j to each district according to its needs could be attended to by the present officers of the Public Works Department. Why, then, the £25,000'! As for inspectors, have we not already an over-plus of theso ? Dangerous goods inspectors (local body), inspectors of weights and measures, machinery and what not, could, in tho paramount interests of economy, be dispensed with, and their several duties be delegated to the intelligent members of the police force as part of their respective beats. It is high time to stem the rising tide of bureauciacy. Over-inspected.