WORK BY CONTRACT

Hokitika Guardian, 24 December 1932, Page 7

WORK BY CONTRACT

GOVERNMENT UNDERTAKINGS

ADOPTION PROPOSED.

WELLINGTON, December 22,

In reply to an inquiry whether it "as proposed to adopt as a general policy for the Public Works Department the recommendation of the National Expenditure Adjustment Commission that public works should be undertaken by means of outside contract Mr Coates stated, that if all works were;; to, .bq carried out iby private , contact. it would be possible to reduce ,t)bc Department’s staff'still further, but it was difficult to see "here the contract system could be used on many of the works now in progress.

“ It will be remembered,” said Mr Coates, “that in the past several ot Department’s larger works have been let to outside contractors, but results have not always been satisfactory, and the Department in several cases has had to complete jobs with its own staff.

Notwithstanding these experiences, however, it is intended as a general policy, with the exception of present partially completed works which could not at this stage be handed over to private contractors, that future works be undertaken by public tender as far as practicable. The contract .system is already used to a considerable extent. The question was raised whether the Department could be still further re* duced by the adoption of a policy of decentralisation, enabling more of the Department’s work to be undertaken by local authorties.

Tlie Minister replied that a certain amount of work now being carried out by the Department could, of course, he handed over as suggested, but there was such a multiplicity of local bodies and their respective areas of control were ,so limited that it was difficult to see how economy of administration would result' unless amalgamation of many of the smaller counties were first of all arranged. If larger local bodies could be estabished much greater responsibilities could with advantage be handed over.