ca
8395
80
Engineer for sanitary matters to the Government of Hong Kong
for upwards of twenty years.
4. Mr.Chadwick accordingly drew up the specifications
and forms of tender. The form of tender for the pipes (a
copy of which is enclosed for easy reference) was prepared in
accordance with the information given in the Colonial indent
that the pipes were to be tested to 1500 lb. pressure, firms
being left to state what thickness of pipe they proposal to
supply.
5. Mr.B.Smith of Wednesbury, whose tender was the lowest
of the ten firms invited to tender, offered two alternative
thicknesses:
3/16" thick pipes for £462.10.0
No.4 wire gauge, i.e. 0.23 inch, £562.10.0.
6. The tenders were refered to Mr.Chadwick and after an
analysis of the metal to be used had been made he advised that
Mr.E.Smith's tender for the thicker pipes should be accepted.
The order was placed accordingly and the pipes were inspected
under Mr.Stangar's supervision and despatched to Hong Kong
in December 1903.
17. Since receiving the reports from the Colony regarding
the unsatisfactory performance of these pipes, we have dis-
cussed the matter with Mr. Chadwick, Mr.Stanger, and Mr.E.
Smith, and have carefully considered the available information.
8. We do not think that faulty inspection can be brought
home to Mr.Stanger. Although this would perhaps be a natural
conclusion on the part of the Colonial Government we do not
find anything pointing conclusively to defective inspection,
and we think that Mr.Stanger's report to Mr. Chadwick of the
4th December 1906, a copy of which was submitted to you with
our letter of 5th March 1907, shewed that the inspection had
not