:
31
Consulting Engineer's report with estimate.
Sanction of Scheme.
Departmental system (v. Contract.
his instructions should be sent out for the pur-
pose.
Or the Consulting Engineer may take
with him such an engineer, leaving him in the
Colony as long as may be necessary to complete
the investigations. The exact arrangements
must in each case depend upon circumstances.
4. On the receipt by the Crown Agents of
the Consulting Engineer's report, accompanied of
course by estimates of cost, it is sent to the
Colonial Government for consideration. Doubtful
points are settled by correspondence until the
scheme reaches a shape in which it is adopted
by the Colonial Government and its execution
sanctioned by the Secretary of State.
5. At this stage, unless the point has
already been considered, it is usually necessary
to decide whether the work shall be executed by
contract or on what is known as the "departmental"
system. A discussion of the relative advantages
of the two systems would be beyond the scope of
this memorandum, but briefly it may be stated
that where the magnitude and character of the
work and the locality in which it lies are such
as would be likely to attract contractors of good
standing, and where it admits of being designad
and estimated in full detail beforehand, the
contract system may present advantages.
Where,
on the other hand, from the mature of the scheme
or pressure of time the design cannot be completed
in detail beforehand; or where for whatever rea-
sons it is likely to be much modified during
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execution