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21
testimonials with him, but of course had no business training or
experience. I hope he will endeavour to make himself a useful
assistant.
Although not quite a change of staff, it is necessary to
record a new departure taken by your Committee as to the payment
of the weekly servants and labour of the Sanitary Department.
On 29th November you decided that your wages account
should be kept separate from the general labour account of the
Vestry, and agreeably to your instructions, estimates and accounts
have been submitted each month to the Finance Committee and a
cheque drawn for the amounts required for the payment of all
weekly servants and casual labour.
Earlier in this report I ventured to express the hope that you
would consider the work of this year at least equal to any that has
gone before. I return to this for the purpose of replying to some
little criticisms that has fallen from some of your members at
different times. It has been said that some of the inspectors'
reports are vague, and on more than one occasion they have been
referred back for further enquiries and particulars, that was said
ought in an efficient inspection to have been ascertained at the first
visit. It has also been said that in addition to some inefficient
primary inspections the manner in which cases are reinspected and
reported for legal proceedings leave something to be desired, and
that too long a time is allowed to elapse in many cases of a serious
character before they are put in for summons. So far from objecting
to criticism I invite it; so long as it is fair, it can only do
good. With your permission I desire to add that it is because
in the main I believe your staff is doing good useful work, I
regret that there should be any lapses to mar what is otherwise
good and satisfactory. For any Inspector who on visiting premises
can only record such meagre details of the conditions existing, as
to make use of the word "Report" a misnomer, I have no apology to
offer, and the members of your Committee would, I venture to think,
do well to call attention to every case as it arises rather than to
complain in a general way. There can be no two opinions that
any officer who presents a so-called report, merely recording that
"the water has been cut off," or that "the roof is said to leak," or
some similar single item, without attempting to describe any other
conditions, or even if the premises are occupied as a dwelling, or used
as a workshop, and does not apparently endeavour to ascertain the
number of occupants, lays himself open to the remark that his
work is done inefficiently, and I repeat my regret that officers who
on the whole are doing such good work should in a few cases lay
themselves open to criticism of this nature. I know in the past
it has been the custom to assume that conditions other than those