14
}
PUBLIC RECORD OFFICE
Reference :-
TREE C.O. 885
سبيا
PUBLIC RECORD OFFICE, LONDON ALLY WITHOUT PERMISSION OF THE BE REPRODUCED PHOTOGRAPHIC- COPYRIGHT PHOTOGRAPH-NOT.TO
Feb. 23, 1900.
14
Letter from the CROWN Agents for the COLONIES to the Honourable the COLONIAL SECRETARY, Fiji. Fiji-Requisition, No. 29441.
February 27, 1900.
SIR,
I HAVE the honour to acknowledge the receipt of your letters, 5780/1899 of the 28th December and 121/1900 of the 8th of January, on the subject of defects in the piping sent out for the Rewa water supply.
*
•
I regret to state that we are not in as good a position as usual to investigate this complaint, owing to the death of Mr. Wakefield, by whom the inspection was carried out, and as his business has died with him we have no means of getting any particulars as to the conduct of the inspection, but from what we know of his system of working, his extreme care and thoroughness, and the close personal attention he gave to all his work we have full confidence that every reasonable precaution was taken to ensure that all the conditions of the specification were fulfilled in this case, and most certainly that not a pipe would have been passed that had not been put through the pressure test under the eye of the sub-inspector.
3. We have communicated the complaint to the contractors, and I enclose a copy of their reply. As we have given the firm all the particulars which you have sent, we have no alternative but to ask you for more information on the subject and particularly as to the lettering on the pipes which failed. If it is found to be the case that they had not the letters F.W.S. cast on them it is most desirable that all the pipes which have failed and have not those letters upon them should be sent home to convince the makers of the fact, which may mean one or two things, either that pipes not made for the order and not submitted to the inspector, or pipes which have been rejected by the inspector and had the letters F.W.S. cut off to indicate rejection, had been sent forward for shipment.
4. The complaint that some of the pipes had been "craftily plugged up with a composition" may, we think, have been made under a misapprehension, and that the so-called "plugging" is merely the Dr. Angus Smith's tar composition with which all pipes are coated by dipping after they have been tested. This composition covers the surface and, of course, runs into all interstices and surface holes which are present to a greater or less extent in all iron castings.
5. I would also ask whether it is quite clear that the failure of the pipes was not due to the pipes having been cracked in transit, a certain percentage of cracked spigot ends is inevitable in all considerable shipments of piping, and if a cracked pipe was laid it would be sure to leak when the main was filled.
I have, &c.,
E. E. BLAKE.
Letter from Messrs. R. MACLAREN AND ('0. to the CROWN AGENTS FOR THE COLONIES. Fiji-Requisition 29441.
GENTLEMEN,
February 23, 1900.
WE duly received your favour of the 21st instant, with enclosure, and beg to express our regret at the contents of the communication.
The complaint is too vague and general for us to reply to as we could wish, and, pending the receipt of further particulars, we must content ourselves with making the following remarks.
The statement made seems to imply that two classes of pipes were sent by us. This is not so. Only one class was sent, and all the pipes bad the letters "F.W.S.” and also "R. M: and Co." cast on.
66
It is stated that some of the faulty pipes have been craftily plugged up with composition." We have to state that this is not so. We would never think of doing such a thing, and we can give this statement a decided contradiction.
Every pipe was carefully tested here to the required pressure, and none were sent which were not quite satisfactory.
If further details are sent to you we shall take it kind if you will let us have them, as we shall then go into them and answer them in detail.
Yours, &c..
ROBERT MAClaren and Co.
15
Letter from the ASSISTANT COLONIAL SECRETARY, Fiji, to the CROWN AGENTS FOR THE COLONIES. GENTLEMEN,
May 30, 1900, I AM directed to acknowledge the receipt of your letter, No. 7, of the 27th February last, asking for further information on the subject of defective piping supplied for the Rewa water scheme, and, in reply, to enclose copies of Minutes by the Commissioner of Works, dated 14th and 28th instant respectively, which give alt the information available in the matter.
The defective pipe referred to in the Commissioner of Works' Minute of the 14th instant has been forwarded to you for your inspection, and for the information of Messrs. R. McLaren and Co., and I beg to enclose herewith the shipping receipt for the same.
The reason why all the faulty pipes are not returned is explained in the Minute of the Commissioner of Works of 28th instant.
With reference to the third paragraph of your letter I am to point out that all the faulty pipes are stated by the Commissioner of Works to have been marked, "R. M. and Co.," and that some of them were also marked "F.W.S.”
The concluding paragraph of your letter is replied to in the Commissioner of Works' Minute of 28th instant.
I have, &c.,
WM. SUTHERLAND, Assistant Colonial Secretary.
Minute from the COMMISSIONER OF WORKS to the COLONIAL SECRETARY, Fiji. SIR,
In the matter of the faulty 6-inch pipes from R. McLaren and Co. After
May 14, 1900. reading the replies from the Crown Agents and R. McLaren and Co., I sent for one of the many faulty pipes that I have had to take out after they had been laid, leaded up, and the water turned on. I am sending it to His Excellency for his personal inspection.
It is quite absurd to suppose that faulty pipes, such as those I have had to contend against, could possibly stand the required test-of 150 lbs.
pressure to the square
inch (that is the required test according to specification) when a 70 feet head of water about 30 lbs, to the square inch-would, and did, blow out what they were plugged up with (in spite of the remarks of the Crown Agents and the contractor, both of whom, it appears, I have now to fight).
L
It will also be noticed that there is no brand of F.W.S. on the pipe, but merely the makers' initials, R. M. and Co.
SIR,
GEORGE MOORE.
Minute by the COMMISSIONER OF WORKS to the COLONIAL SECREtary, Fiji. I AM now able to inform His Excellency in the matter of the faulty piping.
May 28, 1900. There were 30 faulty lengths of 6-inch cast iron piping, similar to the one sent up to His Excellency for inspection. Twelve of these had to be broken out, they were
so bad; the remaining 18 had the faulty portions drilled out of them, and then capped.
They all bore the mark R. M. and Co., and some of them had F.W.S. as well. whole of the 30 lengths were perforated, not cracked,
GEORGE MOORE.
The
Letter from the CROWN AGENTS FOR THE COLONIES to the Honourable the COLONIAL SECRETARY, Fiji.
SIR,
Fiji-Water Supply-Requisition 29441.
1 HAVE the honour to acknowledge the receipt of your letter, 1851/1900, of the
November 1, 1900. 30th May, and its enclosures, in reply to ours of the 27th February, asking for further particulars on the subject of defects in the piping sent out for the Rewa water supply.
16