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Q-They have some 15 or 16 usual Contractors and they appear not as a rule to go beyond them. Do you think they might with advantage go beyond them and ad- vertise in the Chinese papers? Would they obtain any advantage by that?
A.—I don't think they would. I think 15 or 16 are enough.
Q.-You have told us what you think about the price of Government work?
A. Yes.
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Q.-And you think there is wholesome competition?
A. Yes, except perhaps in stone work. I think they give their stone work
nearly all to one man.
Q.-Who is that?
A.I think his name is APAT.
Q.-You think they confine their works possibly rather too much to him?
A.-I think so.
Q.-Is not their work put out to tender?
A. But such work as drains; he does it all.
Q.-Any small jobs ?
A. Yes. I expect perhaps they do it on purpose to keep all these things in their hands. I don't think they put out all their masonry to tenders.
Q.-We have heard a great deal about the measuring of work. I suppose there is a great deal of room for fraud there?
A.-Oh, tremendous, because I am quite sure if you tell an Overseer in the service here to measure up stone or brick work, if the Chinese Contractor were to offer him a
bribe he would take it.
Q-What system would you recommend that the Government should adopt in order to check that ?
A.-You can only change the class of men.
Q.-Is it the same in private work?
A.-In private work we do all that ourselves, because the men we have are not capable of doing it.
Q.-Hon. A. LISTER.---Is that man LAI Arow building the Bank premises?
A. Yes.
Q.---We are told he won't come near the Government Offices. What is the reason
of that?
A.-I don't know. I have heard him say the same thing, that he did not want Government work. I don't know why; he has never told me.