06
t
179
and not dampen for any decision, but he obviously favoured his retention in the interests of the Railway while saying he had no brief to urge Eves's claims. He has the whole work at his finger ends, and is familiar with all the plans, and minute papers, and correspondence with the Consulting Engineers. A new man would have to acquire all this. So far as the Engineering is concerned the work is really finished with the one exception of supervising the Leigh and Orange's Contract. As to the bridges, the Consulting Engineers would themselves now take this over and issue precise instructions, and Eves could not go wrong. If anything went wrong the Consulting Engineers would be themselves responsible. Difficulties between Ives and his Staff were now smoothed over, and he would (if Eves were retained) recommend Egan being put in charge of the executive supervision of the Leigh and Orange's contract so as to avoid further friction. The Director of Public Works emphasised the fact that Eves had caused constant friction with Leigh and Orange and even Mr. Griffin, a valuable and estimable man who is now in charge, had confessed his difficulty in getting on with Eves. Mr. May alluded to the fact that Mr. Eves had not advised against the acceptance of the Leigh and Orange's contract though he should have realised that the rates they tendered on were too low to enable them to complete the work within contract time and that the penalty clauses he had inserted in the contract were too lenient. I enquired whether Mr. Eves had fully and accurately carried out the instructions received from the Consulting Engineers (re taking borings and plumbings) after their report about the bridges had reached England. Mr. Barry said that he could not say that he had. He had taken a certain amount of plumbings &c., and probings but he had much to complain of since the "borings near each side of the bridges" had not been taken and consequently Mr. Barry had not sufficient information on which to base his report. There was no kind of boring "near each side of every bridge" as ordered,
Mr.