THE DAY'S WORK.

Dominion, Volume 1, Issue 212, 1 June 1908, Page 7

THE DAY'S WORK.

WEWNGION'S CITY ENGINEER.

HEAD OF A GREAT DEPARTMENT.

UP-TO-DATE BUSINESS METHODS.

Mr. Elbert Hubbard, who is a rival of Mr, G. H.'Lorimer as ah expositor of philosophy of business. methods, has quoted with delight the example of an American railroad manager, who had no use for a roll-top desk: Tho man had subordinates to do his clerical work. He only, gave orders and pronounced decisions/- This .was. an extreme caso, but it illustrates a tendency. Tho best workmen aro being' continually dragged, pushed, and beguiled away ■ from their work. The man who can shift most mud in eight hours becomes in turn ganger, foreman, time-keepor, manager, contractor.: His hands forget tho pick arid shovel, and tho glorious muscles of his back and loins are softened. The smartest printer is made ail-overseer, and there are no more triumphs fat machine or bulk for his learned, fingers. The field-niarshall forsakes tho field to sit at a telephone, with a map before him arid messengers around him. Tho craftsman, who was never happier than when wood or stone' was lessening into beauty ; urid-er tho touch and sweep of his tools, boobmos inevitably, unless lie has some saving' vice, a-worried employer,' an adjuster of prices, wages, and profits. Tho hand, the eyo, arid the material, which understood each '.other so well that their comradeship was liko a marriage, made in heaven, are doomed to estrangement. Tho man who loves- his. work is tho ifirsfc who must give it up. Certainly; most men.'profess to. find tho compensations ariipk. - They liad need bo. ; Tiw Hardest Work,. v ' There is. 110 need to emphasise tho compensatioris; for almost all meri likfe. responsibility, to recoive salaries instead of wages, and give orders , instead of, executing them. , Nor will tho : incentive .'to exertion ho appreciably' weakoned, when-it is recognised •that the giving of orders, if it is faithfully done, is apt to mean harder work than anyinvolved in carrying them out. Toil snores, while responsibility sleeps with one eyo open. In fact,Jas Shakespeare might say if ho wens •living now: • -• • ' "What infinite heartsease ..' 'Must City Engineer's neglect'ahdVlose, . That Corporation labourers enjoy." Interruptions, ;Thoso whose occasions take them often to. a certain suite ,of ■-offices in tho , W-eJlLiigioii' Town Hair must! realise ni.oro or. loss dimly .tho correctness of theses reflections'. Throughout the. foreocon, tho work of Mr. W. H. .Morton; A.M.1.C.E., the, able arid trusted iCity..'.Engineer,'may almost bo. said to con-, 'sist "chiefly of interruptions. .- They are -only •'not - interruptions, -because they :>arei .-.as . a class, 1 on the programme; and arc expected with .infinite and unforeseen variations eVeryrday.' Soon after ho takes his seat, arid when ho has scarcely .'.finished; with' the morning's : mail, come'his Inspectors, one 1 after' another-, fto tell what .-needs telling of - their ' observations concerning rie,w- buildings;' drainage, plumbing;water' supply; and other things. They rc]>ort cases that look liko breaches of civic legislation," and- for the the • Engineer becomes -a _lawyCr, By-lawyer',- if tho dictionary recognised it; 'would^be'-a,,fitter ivord,' for ; Mh Morton, doos not :attompt to go beyond. the. question, of. whether thero has boon a.breach of the. by-laws or a rea&otiablo oompliarico',with them. It sounds"-rather, simple; but it is really, in < many cases, far from easy-to determine when certain-clauses .in . the i building regulations, for ■ instanco,' . oughtto-; bo absolutely insisted .upon i v aJi(i ;whpn::st)ccial .consideration's relating 'to,-.tii6' site 'or 'the adjoining structures should; bo allowed' .to. hliyo.: 'weight. , ."Salua. pppuli suprema lex." Laws, of ' any; kind, _ are to .serve the public,good, not to thwart it.' Nobody who lnibws , the City. Engineer : will, accuse him, of making tho sort of concessions that favour tho individual, to the detriment of the' interests 'of the community.

Sorting Out tho Callers. Tho Inspectors havo scarcely departed • when' the unofficial public .begin to arrive. Alany and various are'their objects. The , . . City. Engineer; doesnot receive them , withloercmonious old-time; courtesy, rising, placing 'a'- chair, and saying; "Pray be seated, sir. .. Permit me' tci inquire in. what, way. I may., :. -;h.Svo the honqdr'of' serving you." .Nor, on - iho / 6thfer, hand,' doeslie demand with- Yankeo • bniaquSifcsß,; 'J.Wat'S.'jfdur- Irasiridss? " dnd . :. closo. the; briefest, possible colloquy, with . an. . • abrupt, " Now,' get out!" To be'giii with, I the, stream of callers has to undergo a process of straining. That is .done at -ttfie Ic'duntcr in tho adjoining publib ofGce._ Eveiy : ; ; visitor -tflio.; wants, to sCe the' Eugineer' is j handed by. one of the clerks a very small' v : 'slip, of paper bearing just the wtirds Name" , : anci ''uiisiiiess," arid a couple of dotted lilies.. . .There, is. po space .to write that your • great aun,t. went to school with a lady of tho.. .ixiino suniahio''as, the; Engineer,'dr that, you jpay; £20; a year-in rates-arid are'a candidate . for. the . City anything else. that ,ybu think liiiy inako. a favourable impression. 7 Mr!,Morton; only .wants to know who.you a«-. : and what you- wanti to -talk about, . and .thai may bo quite enough to enable him to decide 7 .that he is too' busj-, and always will bo too busy, to see, you. If you aro' a man with , ■ *. -something to sell, yoiirmay just as well stay- . away. The'public seem to be; learning gradually what does-and what'does not constitute • fit business fbr an .'interview with a hardworked officer. 1 Chances of Mailing Mistakes. ' . , About rioon tho ovorseers aro likely to ebmo in. ' They are tho men who have fchargo . of. the important.' work of .construction and maintenance of the streets'as well ascleansing. ■ ... They, also' . have their problems'v. "for' Volution,- their snggestiona 1 :, to. make, their', mishaps' .to•'•■report, thedr ... instructions, to').rec&ivo. i There' are also . ' 'separate overseers of works which are being ..constructed out of loan money, and they also come along, when sent for, or when they ' think' it' necessary. A. good deal of work, ' • ;professional,and. other,.may arise out of these •colloquies. It mil be seen that there, aro endless demands for the excrciso of judgment . ' with' expert knowledge, and'every such demand, is ail occasion when, a. mistake might '• -bo made. Yet nobody thinks of praising a maii for riot making mistakes. Tho passing . ' of building plans makes a good deal of work, and as they are usually riot submitted until ■ the contract is let, the builders arc anxious to'have'thorn put. through in a hurry. Mi'. Murdoch, Inspector of Buildings, gives valu-. ablcassistanco in this: matter. The Press. . .••., ' Ouo or two reporters. are liable to call during the ihorning and ask- questions about "things which the public is supposed to be interested in. They find.the 'Engineer full of information,! but not bursting "with it. He -hover- bursts. He is a stranger to that sblf-,advortising disposition, which has been the ". fons et oi'igo" of such quantities of " copy."- , What the reporter gets from • Mr. Morton is " good stuff," but it takes gottiug. He once remarked to tho. writer: "Tho less I see' about the City Eugineer in the-papers, the'better. I'm pleased." Yet when asked for information which the public have a right-to possess, or for an opinior on .a subject which lie is specially qualified to speak of, lie' responds with, a clearness, fullness, and readiness, that ono could wish .to see imitated ill other quarters. Y Alarums and Excursions. To add to tho other sources of interruption there is tho inevitable telephone. Mr. Morton's privato residence is also connected and one Sunday morning lie was rung up by somobody who wanted him to come at once 1 and remove ti rat from tho middle of the • road. ■ ' v., ■. :■ Throughout all invasions and hindrances' tho Engineer is. dictating letters arid coin" . through documents.'; The contents of labelled " p.'ipers to bo dealt with," are dim- 1 inishing, and tlioW of its rioighbour, marked , '.papers dealt with,'. 1 nro. increasing; Some l attention is claimed by/? the pressure gage, ■

tthich stands in the room to show the Engineer at any moment what is the pressuro of water in the city mains. ; '■> But even a City, Engineer is not just a brain with other men acting as his hands, tfeot, and eyes. He must go out "to see some things for himself., The ; afternoon often ,■■■■.■ , finds him on' suburban slopes, or in J; streets that ring with. traffic, or at somo reservoir ]or pumping station, inspecting , and y giving ; orders. Sometimes .there are longer • ,/ oxcursions to spy out the possibilities of water/catchment areas and new dams, in distant valleys. On other afternoons; there aro committees meetings which the Engineer, must attend, to give'the Councillors, advice and information. A Mystery. Tho present .-writer does not profess to ; know how or when Mr. Morton finds time to • work-out hisi schemes and plans for new . 'reservoirs,' duplication of mains, recreation | - grounds, buildings like the abattoirs,'or the . dcstructor, ; tramway. routes," and tho , rest, nor whon ho compiles his reports for' y the Coimcil ah'd'its committees. He certainly ■ gets these , things done, : but there is a mystery about tho doing. Of course, he has .. ..expert helpers,' like and Mr. I'aterson, the. two' Assistant Engineers, be- . ■ sides draughtsmen,'surveyors,'inspectors, and others, but the responsibility for all their work rests with him, and it is not shirked or shifted. : ' ' '-- The Biggest City. . The work of a City Engineer is necessarily greater in Wellington than in some" other cities, where one or more great public services,. liko .water' supply, -or 'sewerage,'. arol ■ not under the control of the municipality;. ■• Here Mr. Morton and Mr. Stuart Richardson. (City/Electrical Engineer), have-charge of; public services which, in many cities are in the hands-of four or ;five engineers. Of course, there is another side to this consid- ■' oration. The drainage ungince'r does, not' ..:' quarrel with the water engineer when they are th'e-same person, nor-the. City Council , ■ .' with the Drainage-Board, when theonein-' eludes:'tho. other. It is. also.'worth mention-' ; ing that Wellington, in. the strictly municipal sense, is by far/the'largest city-in-Now • Zealand, both as to area and population. The ■ city,; boundaries..have., been'' extended from - ~ time to time until most of the suburbs are included, instead ; 'of being left, ; , as, is more or. less-the cose-at; other centres, unHor tho . control'of borough councils and road boards. ■ No man : is, more closely in touch-with the -, -v growine retirements o'f this progressiva' and. : - expanding city, than the City Engineer.