MINISTRY OF WORKS

Otago Daily Times, Issue 26780, 25 May 1948, Page 8

MINISTRY OF WORKS

MERGING OF DEPARTMENTS GREATER EFFICIENCY SOUGHT P.A. WELLINGTON, May 24. The Minister of Works, Mr Semple, to-day announced the following changes to improve the administration of the Government’s works programme:— 1. The Ministry of Works and the Public Works Department are merged under the name of the Ministry of Works. 2. The housing division and the Government architects’ division are to be merged within the Ministry of Works. 3. The civil engineering design and construction section is transferred from the State Hydro-electric Department to the Ministry of Works. It is hoped by these changes to speed up building and housing and hydro-electric works within the limits imposed by the shortages of labour and materials. Hitherto the Public Works Department had comprised four separate divisions (administration, architectural, engineering and housing), with the Ministry of Works as an independent body concerned largely with overall planning. Mr Semple said there had been the fullest justification for maintaining the identity of the .separate organisations in the immediate post-war period, but the time had arrived to merge them in a single Ministry of Works for economy and effective administration. The unified control of the Commissioner of Works would enable the resources of the whole organisation to be called to the aid of works of the highest priority, such as housing and hydro-electric supply. Mr E. R. McKillop, as Commissioner of Works, will be the permanent head of the reorganised Ministry of Works. Mr F. Langbein will be Assistant Commissioner of Works (engineering) and engineer-in-chief. Mr S. Roberts will act as chief administrative officer, and Mr R. A. Patterson will be Assistant Commissioner of Works (housing and buildings) and Government architect. Mr C. W. O. Turner has been appointed assistant engineer-in-chief, with responsibility for hydro-electric planning and development. The Minister said that, at the Government's request, Mr McKillop would leave this week on official business for the United Kingdom and North America, and would be absent for some months. Mr Langbein would be Acting Commissioner of Works.