Of the steady efforts made departmentally "to effect retrenchment in the expenditure of the Shanghai 'Municipal Council the Public Works Department' Estimates ive a good! example. The Controller points out that the estimates show a reduction of $621,100 on last year's budget, and that the total reduction amounts. to nearly $1,000,000, as compared with 1035 as" the result of retrenchment operations in staff begun two years ago, and other careful revisions of requirements, The reduction of foreign staff by 28 has resulted in a decrease! of $950300 in appropriations for pay und allowances and thus has. be mainly responsible for the satisfy tory result achieved. Tt will be! agreed that the Council Is well served. by departmental efforts of this kind for they may be taken' to combine the benefits of economy with due regard to the requirements of eff ciency, always remembering that the Depariment's curtailment of—its construction programme in the face of the prevailing depression although acceptable in the elteumstances must involve a certain laggardness in the development of amenities which in prosperous times would be considered entirely essential.
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.