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at this stage, and I fully appreciate the great initial difficulties he has had to face. Work during the rains is necessarily slow, the earth being saturated with moisture and the Tunnel very wet while labourers suffer from sickness. I trust that more rapid progress will now be made, but the Consulting Engineers will no doubt take into serious consideration the position of affairs disclosed in this Despatch. Mr. Ives under date of 19th instant expresses his belief that the Tunnel will be open for traffic by the middle of May, 1910.
14.
Since writing the foregoing paragraphs I have received a report (for which I had called) from Mr. Waite, Superintendent of the Tunnel Work, copy attached. As a result of this report the Chief Resident Engineer is now asking for 1 Walking Ganger, 2 Bricklayers, and 2 "Dog-Slashers", which seems to justify Mr. Logan's contention that more staff was required. I have also received a letter from Mr. Logan tendering his resignation. I greatly regret this for Mr. Ives admits that he has a "high opinion of him as a worker, and change of District Engineers upon whom devolves (in the circumstances I have described) the main supervision of the actual construction work is likely to cause fresh delay and possibly change of method.
enclosure 6.