prior to the War, this Department only undertook the furnishing of certain rooms in Embassy and Legation buildings, designated the State rooms; the supply of furniture, fuel and household articles to Class II Post Offices; the distribution of supplies and household articles to Post Offices direct instead of through Post Office stores; the maintenance and supply of household articles to institutions under the Board of Control; the supply of showcases and fittings to museums, etc. Lastly, an attempt is now being made, so far as financial exigencies will allow, to overtake some of the arrears of maintenance which accumulated during the period of the War. The actual number of buildings to be maintained (i.e., buildings owned or held on repairing lease) has increased from 3,374, in 1914, to approximately 5,500 at the present time. A further consideration which is material to any comparison of the pre-war numbers and costs with those at the present time is that the calibre of the subordinate staff at the present time is much inferior to that of the pre-war staff, and that the proportion of fully trained staff was certainly higher in 1914 than it is now. This is largely due to the fact that, in accordance with the policy of successive Governments, it has been necessary to substitute a large staff, which had received .training during and since the War, by ex-service men who are still in the process of training. Of the male staff now serving in the Department, approximately 75 per cent. are ex-service men of whom 25 per cent. were disabled in the War. A reliable illustration of the effect of this factor on staff numbers is afforded in the accounting division of the Department where the "overall" increase in the numbers of staff at the present time compared with 1914 is 176 per cent., whereas the comparative increases, for supervisory and general clerical staff, are 81 per cent. and 216 per cent. respectively. The larger increase in the case of the general clerical staff is, of course, partly attributable to the large increase in routine accounting work and procedure, but is also, in no small measure, due to the inferior calibre of the staff concerned. The work performed is also, in many ways, more complex now than before the War. Whitley procedure, labour difficulties and fluctuations in the market prices of materials all tend to throw a greater burden of work on the staff; there has, for example, been a considerable increase in the number of periodic contracts due to the fact that it has been considered advisable to shorten the period of contracts in order to take advantage of falling markets. The average period is now four to five months instead of one to three years in pre-War days. APPENDIX No. 7. PAPER forwarded by Sir Lionel Earle, K.C.B., K.C.V.O., C.M.C. H.M. OFFICE OF WORKS AND PUBLIC BUILDINGS. PRICES OF COKE-LONDON DISTRICT. (Q. 466.) The average contract prices for coke in the London District for the years 1924/25 and 1925/26 were as follows: APPENDIX No. 8. PAPER forwarded by Sir Lionel Earle, K.C.B., K.C.V.O., C.M.G. H.M. OFFICE OF WORKS AND PUBLIC BUILDINGS. SOUTH KENSINGTON GENERATING STATION. (Qs. 515-528.) Further The original cost of the Generating Station was £24,057. capital expenditure between 1909/10 and the present date has amounted to £16,743, of which £3,400 is in respect of the oil fuel plant recently installed. The conversion from coal to oil burning was only completed in readiness for the present heating season, so that the boiler house has been running on oil fuel for a period of approximately five months. Out of these five months the first three, namely, October to December, 1925, were used chiefly in making adjustments to the plant, instructing the stokers on the use of fuel oil, carrying out tests and generally tuning up the system. In a boiler house of this character, where the load varies according to the outside temperature, any costs over a short period are valueless and, in fact, misleading. One of the chief advantages of oil fuel consists of its flexibility compared to coal, burning, and when it is stated that in a normal winter's day the steam load at South Kensington varies from, say, 25,000 pounds per hour in the day-time to 10,000 pounds per hour through the night, it will be seen that economical flexibility is essential. In the coal-firing days it was found necessary to run two boilers on "banked fires 19 all night in order to be in a position to deal with the morning steam load. Under the new oil-firing conditions banked fires are no longer necessary, and a corresponding saving in fuel will be obtained. Before comparing oil with coal burning it is absolutely essential that the results of one full year's working with oil fuel should be available, and figures cannot, therefore, be arrived at on this basis until the conclusion of the present calendar year. The cost for the year 1924, the last complete year in which coal was used, was £13,831. As regards savings on labour due to the adoption of oil fuel, an actual saving of £987 per annum is being made on trimmers, and a further estimated saving of £400 a year on fitters, making an estimated saving of £1,387 per annum on labour alone. The estimated saving on fitters' wages is due to the fact that the old coal conveyer and stoking gear was worn out and had reached the end of its useful life. In connection with the cost of generating current as compared with the cost if current were taken from the local electric supply company, this comparison would show a cost of about a penny per unit for current generated at the station compared with 24d. per unit from the supply company, taken in bulk. It should be noted, however, that current is generated at the station only at such times as exhaust steam is required for heating purposes, the current being a by-product of the heating system and the generators acting as steam reducing valves. When the steam heating load has been dealt with, any additional current required is taken from the supply company. APPENDIX No. 9. PAPER forwarded by Sir Lionel Earle, K.C.B., K.C.V.O., C.M.G. H.M. OFFICE OF WORKS AND PUBLIC BUILDINGS. (Qs. 558-612.) As regards the selection of sites for Employment Exchanges, the Department is guided by the requirements of the Ministry of Labour, and, for a short period a few years ago, the Ministry made it a condition that they should have sites in prominent central positions. This is not now the policy, as the Ministry are content with sites in the less important thoroughfares provided they are centrally situated, and the Department does not generally utilise sites in important thoroughfares in other than exceptional circumstances, and then, generally speaking, where there is no other practicable alternative and where-as, for example, at the end of such a thoroughfare-there is little or no interference with business. In connection with the programme which the Department has in hand for providing improved accommodation required by the Employment Exchanges in many industrial centres, a large proportion of the existing cases where, at present, part of the accommodation is in prominent main thoroughfares will be dealt with and ultimately supplanted by other accommodation in less important positions. In the case of Brighton, the building selected offered the most economical. solution of the accommodation question at the time, and, though this and the other cases are being looked into, it has not yet been found possible to obtain a practicable alternative. 2. As regards the cost of hutting, particulars of a number of the cases included in the Appropriation Account for 1924/25 are given below, the figures of cost being inclusive of quantity surveyors' fees and clerks of works' salaries: Except where otherwise stated, the above buildings are wooden buildings of fairly substantial character and of a size appropriate to the insurable populations of the localities they serve. The main feature of the accommodation in each case is a large public room (with counter) which must necessarily be somewhat high to provide adequate ventilation in view of the masses of applicants attending the Exchanges. In addition, office accommodation has to be provided for the staff, together with a room for the manager and a committee room and board room. The price at which the work is carried out may be considered the most economical possible for the type of building required, seeing that competitive prices are obtained. 3. It should be stated that the policy of meeting the requirements by the erection of such relatively temporary structures was advisedly adopted at the period to which the Appropriation Accounts relate, as the Treasury were concerned with the possibility of a change of policy in regard to Employment Exchange accommodation making a radical alteration in the requirements. At this time, the question was under consideration of amalgamating Health Insurance and Unemployment Insurance, but this idea having been found impracticable, the policy which is now generally being adopted by the Department, with the approval of the Treasury, is to erect semi-permanent buildings having a life of, say, 45 years. 4. In regard to the hutted buildings which have been erected, the great proportion are on leasehold sites, but in a few exceptions the sites are freehold, due mainly to the fact that at the time when they were acquired the intention was to erect permanent buildings, this policy being afterwards abandoned by the Government on account of the requirements of building labour for housing and the uncertainty previously referred to as to the future of the Exchanges. 5. As regards the cost of the buildings now proposed to be erected for Exchanges, an indication of this will be obtainable from the printed Estimates of the Department for the coming financial year, but, generally speaking, it may be said that, while the cost of semi-permanent buildings is slightly higher than hutted buildings providing the same amount of accommodation, when account is taken of the longer life of the semipermanent building, it is considered, on the whole, to be somewhat cheaper. Generally speaking, the Department is purchasing rather than leasing the sites proposed for these buildings. APPENDIX No. 10. PAPER forwarded by Sir Lionel Earle, K.C.B., K.C.V.O., C.M.G. H.M. OFFICE OF WORKS AND PUBLIC BUILDINGS. HOUSING ESTATES. (Qs. 647-670.) 1. PERMANENT ESTATES.-STATEMENT SHOWING POSITION AS TO RENTS AND (a) Late tenant's arrears. estate. Arrears of sitting tenants sold to purchaser of (b) The purchasers of the estate have agreed to endeavour to collect on behalf of he Government the arrears as existing at date of sale, for a remuneration of 15 per cent. |