Chief Feature of Year, Progress Made with the Reforms. in Organization his annual report to the Municipal Council, Mr. A. F. Gimson, Commissioner of Public Works, states that the chief feature of the year has, been the progress made with the reforms in the organization of the different branches of the office which were commenced last year and are, now nearly completed.
For the most part these changes have had to be introduced gradually to avoid risks of breakdowns in the services and to get the personnel accustomed to each major step before introducing the next, The changes will not materially impair the standard of any important service, though they have permitted considerable reductions in staff.
Their full effect on economy will not be felt until 1938, when it is expected that the total reduction in the annual Ordinary Expenditure of the Department since the re-organization was commenced will exceed 1% million dollars.
The most fruitful expedient in effecting these reforms has been the chow Head was successfully put into amalgamation of the duties and staffs operation. Since August, the area of allied branches and of branches protected has been extended north-whose combination may be expected. wards to Nanking Road.
produce economies, Movements of bundings and bridge use Refuse shutments In the Soochow Creek due to extensive dredging have called for In this way House Refuse collec-urgent remedial measures in several tion; taken over some years ago from laces. Such movements are very the 'Health Department, has been' slow and, whilst scarcely. appreciable combined with House Refuse dis to the eye, may cause considerable posal, Street cleansing, Transport and damage to the bridges, carriage ways Ordure collection, into one large: and underground works, but the branch, enabling the same work to be magnitude of the forces behind these done, with a smaller staff and yet movements is 30 great that it is dif-with more ement control. ficult either to prevent them or check, The Highways Branch has for long them once they start. been under-staffed. The work of the Building Permits District Engineers has increased so much in volume and variety during The estimated value of buildings in the past ten years with the develop-the Settlement for which permits ment of the town and growth of were issued during the first seven! traffic that they have never had time months of 1937, was $9,181,880, com-to give sufficient attention to the pared with $0,044,900 for the corres-economics of their work, or to the: ponding period of last year, an inadequate supervision of their labour. crease of $3,106,890. Since the com-'The Highways labour is so widely dismencement of hostilities in August, tributed over the town, iso constant~ however, there has naturally been ly moving from place' to place, and ry little activity. in the building! concerned with '90 many' different rade, the estimated value of buildings Kinds of work that proper supervi-for which permits were issued during slon presents special difficulties. the "last five months of 1937 find. the necessary additional staff amounting to $1,019,800, compared was also not easy. 'Trained high with $5,405,000 for the corresponding Ways engineers are' not to be found period of 1936, showing a decrease of Iocally, their engagement from abroad $3,845,200, The total estimated value ig expensive, and the local peculiari~ Of buildings for which permits were ties of subsoil and trafic so affect!
Issued during the year was $10,771,680, road construction that training and. compared with $11,509,990 "during experience abroad dre of uncertain 1936. value, Accordingly the extra stof The estimated value of minor had to be sought from within, and works for which General Permits was found by combining the Sewewere issued amounted to $892,500 rage and Highways Branches. Se~ (compared with $1,140,000 in 196), orage may not appear to have much including 208 temporary storage sheds in common with Highways work, but, in the Central and Western Districts, ike all. other utilities, it uses the erected to accommodate merchandize roads, The pooling of the two staffs from the areas affected by hostilities though they had already been until local conditions become normal, duced, supplied sum cient extra 1,677 applications for permits for to permit a complete reorganization new buildings were received (com-fof "the combined work of these pared with 1,004 In 1996), of which branches. The system of control by 816 were approved. Of the 1,677 disteiets which had always seemed so) applications, 601 were submitted by convenient was entirely discarded. foreign applicants and 1,176 by Chi-Control of Labour nese applicants.
The control and supply of all The demolition of old buildings Aubour and materials is: now an one comprised 6§3 Chinese houses and 91 tively separate organization handled foreign buildings, amongst which by two engineers. All private work were the American Oriental Bank for property owners and the Public Building on Nanking Road, the Utulty. Companies is _similarly Chekiang Bank Building at the managed by another branch of the corner of Hankow and Kiangse Section, leaving two Highways En-Roads, and the old Kalee Building lineers free to decide how, when and at the corner of Kiukiang and Kiang-Where work is to be down in the Roads. It ig Interesting to note most economical and advantageous that the number of Chinese houses demolished during the year exceeds way, 'AS might be expected, such radical the number of new Chinese houses changes have not been made without for which permits were issued, friction. The pooling of the indoor by 92. staff did not present much dimeulty, 'The highest number of separate Dut the frat steps towards it with' works under construction in any one the outdoor staff In the Spring caused month was 332 in August, the lowest general. strike of all Highways being 144 in November. labour followed by other difeulties The damage to buildings resulting which led to the postponement of the from the typhoon which visited reforms until the unusual conditions Shanghai_on August 3 and 4 was in the Autumn made their introduc small. Apart from minor damage me tion easier. volving a number of advertising Bridges hoardings, plate-glass windows, fences.
The plans for the proposed replace: and galvanized iron roofs, only one nient of the existing timber foot. major collapse was reported, when bridge across the Soochow Creek at} the upper portion of the front wall Kiangse Road by a modern reinforced of 374 Honan Road fell into the road.
concrete highway bridge were com-'The walls of the buildings adjacent Peted in July. Detailed arrange-were found to be in a ruinous state ments had also been made with the and were subsequently demolished Shanghai Waterworks Company, Ltd. by the owner.
for the aecoramodation in the bridge of two new 30-inch mains, and the Survey of Vacant Premises demolition of the existing aqueduct.
With the closing of the Eastern and Tenders had been called for when the Northern Areas of the Settlement on outbreak of hostilities caused tem-the outbreak of hostilities in August, porary abandonment of the project a general survey was made of the For the same reason the landing Central and Western Districts and sloges budgetted for were not carried the area between the western boun out and the bunding programme was} ary of the Settlement and the Railway curtailed. line with a view to obtaining inform-By arrangement with the City ation of all vacant premises for Government, three timber bridges in supplying accommodation for schools, the Western outside roads area were hospitals, hillels for troops, and for:
replaced by reinforced conerete crile the storage of large consignments of rice and other essential commodities.
verts, so eliminating future annual expenditure on maintenance and the'
In pursuance of the policy approved necessity for strengthening the last year, 1,000 squatter huts were bridges as traffic Toads increase. scheduled for demolition in 1937.
Early in August the frst section of 499 were demolished in May and the Flood Prevention Scheme in the June, Demolition notices were served Central District bounded by Avenue on a further 500, but, owing to the Edward VII, Honan Road and Foo-! outbreak of hostilities, no further
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.