23
greater than anyone else. It is apparently his
first job as Chief Resident Engineer and he must be
aware that if he gets known as the man who made a mess
of the Canton Kowloon Railway he will have little chance
of such a post again. At the same time he was (a) new
to the position of Chief Engineer, and (b) new to working
for a Colonial Government - while the HongKong Government
leaving out of account the Governors was itself new to
the Departmental system of construction under a Consulting
Engineer. Sir M. Nathan said "The Chief Resident
Engineer is in effect an officer of the Consulting
Engineers and the local Government can only interfere
through its own officers with the way in which he carries
out his work at the expense of relieving the Consulting
Engineers of the responsibility that theoretically rests
on them for the efficient and economical construction of
the railway. In practice Your Lordship will probably,
and the people of HongKong will certainly hold me
responsible if there is great delay or waste of money in
the completion of the Railway..
10630/07.
In this horit thes. 15 of the Cop
Aurmo. Frented in
[Cd. 2325 (hags 27)
to ulrich
Prefevo in pas. 67
41352.
Now as to this, if professional responsibility
means anything, the Consulting Engineers are not only
"theoretically" but practically responsible for the con-
struction of the railway. The Governor is not responsible
except so far as he interferes with the work and the
Secretary of State I am sure would not be so unfair as
hold him responsible for anything due to the default of the
Consulting Engineers or of their Resident Engineer. As
work,
to his "responsibility" to the "Colony", the Governor is
subject
to
men
subject to public criticism like other puolic pati
but he is not in any strict sense "responsible" to
"local public opinion": and from my experience I
should say that "local public opinion" is far too
pleased to have a chance
+
however bad to abuse the
Engineers Crown Agents and the Consulting to trouble to go out
of its way to abuse the Governor when so much better
sport offers.
Of the complaints against Mr. Eves (1) and
(4) are I think fairly met by consideration of the
special difficulties of the work and the shackles in
which Mr. Eves was placed by Sir M. Nathan's instruc-
tions. (3) seems hardly borne out by the instances
adduced for (a) amounts to nothing (b) to very
little (c) was apparently due to a misapprehension by
the Governor and another misapprehension by Mr. Eves as
(4) is
to the meaning of a not very clear letter.
due mainly to natural causes and the only complaint
to which no definite answer can be returned is (2)
the King contract proposal. As to this, a possible
explanation is that Mr. Eves had been so badgered by
the Secretariat and the focal Auditor for returns,
authorities, copies of petty contracts,e:
desperation he was prepared to put forward any pro-
etc.t that in
posal which would relieve him from this continual
worry.
Send cut copy of Consulting Engineers' report, observing as at P, suggest that Gourmor should do
C.E. sugges
an
Dr.
जै
a.) 29/1
25/ aunseling Enginel
eers