Enclosure 2.
5.
674
free from all interference with the task for which he is held responsible, I arrived here with certainly no bias against Mr. Eves, and I have found him personally an agreeable man. I have, however, to report one or two matters which have arisen in the last few days which appear to me to indicate that Mr. Eves lacks the qualities which are necessary in a man to whom so large a work involving so great a cost to this Colony and the control of so large a Staff is entrusted.
5.
I attach a letter from Mr. Eves dated September 25th, in which he proposes that the work on the Tunnel should be handed over to a Mr. King, lately a subordinate in a local Engineering Firm (as I am informed), who is wholly without Railway or Tunnelling experience, or alternatively that one of his own subordinates, Mr. Logan, should be allowed to tender for it. He brought up this project at the meeting on October 1st, and in reply to my questions appeared to support it strongly. Mr. Eves has been in no way restricted as to the number of the Staff employed or the machinery and plant he might require, yet apparently he considers that either Mr. King or Mr. Logan could complete the work more rapidly and at less cost than he can do it himself.