PUBLIC WORKS

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXIX, Issue 21346, 22 November 1932, Page 10

PUBLIC WORKS

REORGANISATION SCHEME

DETAILS NOT YET COMPLETE

PROBLEM OF RETRENCHMENT

THE ANNUAL STATEMENT

[BY TELEGRAPH —SPECIAL REPORTER]

WELLINGTON, Monday

Tho Public Works Statement, which will probably be presented in the House of Representatives to-morrow, is understood not to include details of the reorganisation scheme on which the Rt. Hon. J. G. Coates, Mr. C. J. McKenzie, tho new Under-Secretary of tho department, and Mr. P. D. N. Verschaffelt, Public Service Commissioner, have been working for same time. However, it is expected that an announcement on the reorganisation will be made in the very near future.

One of tho principles to be followed, it is gathered, will be to separate the administrative and purely engineering functions to a greater extent, so that as a general rule officers with only technical qualifications will not be required to shoulder administrative duties. Some double banking in that connection may still be necessary, but significance may attach to the fact that Mr. McKenzie was appoi/ited Under-Secretary of the department and is holding only temporarily the office of engineer-in-chief, whereas Mr. F. W. Furkert was both Under-Sec-retary and engineer-in-chief.

It is believed that finality in allocation of the principal offices in the department has not been reached, but the likelihood was mentioned to-day of Mr. J. Wood, inspecting engineer at head office, being appointed engineer-in-chicf. It is a fairly open secret that it is proposed to reduce the personnel of the department drastically, particularly as the spending powers of the department have been greatly reduced. It is understood that during the past two years the staff of the department has been cut down by 37 per cent. This year's Estimates, which were released in advance of the Public Works Statement, show a total vote of £2,398,700, compared with a vote of £5,837,000 and actual expenditure of £4,205,274 in the previous year. The Public Service list of 1931 showed that there were in the department 763 permanent officers, of whom 141 were in the engineering division, 319 in the clerical division and 303 in the general division. The unpleasant task of retrenchment is now being faced and £he presence of the Public Service Commissioner in the deliberations on the subject suggests that some attempt is being made to meet the position by transferring some of the officers to other departments. However, it is not expected that the whole problem can be dealt with in that way, so that the announcement of details of the reorganisation policy is being awaited with some anxiety by those likely to be immediately involved.