300
Basic
OP I
Enclosure.
A 692
Kowloon-Canton Railway Meeting N6. IC C
Present:- His Excellency the Governor,
41952
The Honourable the Colonial Secretary
Ref 30 NOV 07
1.
The Honourable the Director of Public Works.
The Chief Resident Engineer,
The Meetings will be held on the first Tuesday in each
month unless otherwise directed at 10 A.M. at Government House.
Special Meetings will be called whenever necessary.
2. The question of Contracts was discussed. This may be viewed
in two classes (a) Large Contracts (b) Small Contracts. As
regards (a) the Honourable Director of Public Works advocated
much larger Contracts being let, say for 4 miles including all
bridges. The Chief Resident Engineer replied (a) that he had
already let one very large contract (viz.:- the cutting South
of Tunnel). That he had now a second to let involving 6,000,000
cubic feet - 2 miles long - which he was going to submit to
Government and there were no other Contracts to offer. (b) That
his instructions definitely forbade him to let large contracts.
(c) That no Contractor would tender for the Tunnel except on
terms which were prohibitive, and he could do the work much
cheaper himself.
(a) This reply gave rise to the question of the extent of
the powers vested in the Chief Resident Engineer to make large
contracts without reference to Government, or to pledge the
Government to a Contractor before consulting the Government. In
the first place it transpired from what Mr. Ives said that the
contracts are not called for by sealed tender on a definite
specification and plans, but are the result of private negotiation
between himself and some individual.
With reference to the 2nd contract referred to above
he was not sure he could recommend its acceptance because it
was too low, and he felt sure that the Contractor would lose. The maximum security offered, as I understood, was $4,000 which
he considered ample considering that he kept back 15 per centum
on...
300
Basic
OP I
Enclosure.
A 692
Kowloon-Canton Railway Meeting N6. IC C
Present:- His Excellency the Governor,
41952
The Honourable the Colonial SecretaryBEC?
Reef 30 NOV 07
1.
The Honourable the Director of Public Works.
The Chief Resident Engineer,
The Meetings will be held on the first Tuesday in each
month unless otherwise directed at 10 A.M. at Government House.
Special Meetings will be called whenever necessary.
2. The question of Contracts was discussed. This may be viewed
in two classes (a) Large Contracts (b) Small Contracts. As
regards (a) the Honourable Director of Public Works advocated
much larger Contracts being let, say for 4 miles including all
bridges. The Chief Resident Engineer replied (a) that he had
already let one very large contract (viz.:- the cutting South
of Tunnel). That he had now a second to let involving 6,000,000 ·
cubic feet - 2 miles long - which he was going to submit to
Government and there were no other Contracts to offer. (b) That
his instructions definitely forbade him to let large contracta.
(c) That no Contractor would tender for the Tunnel except on
terms which were prohibitive, and he could do the work much
cheaper himself.
(a) This reply gave rise to the question of the extent of
the powers vested in the Chief Resident Engineer to make large
contracts without reference to Government, or to pledge the
Government to a Contractor before consulting the Government. In
the first place it transpired from what Mr. Ives said that the
contracts are not called for by sealed tender on a definite
specification and plans, but are the result of private negotia-
-tion between himself and some individual.
With reference to the 2nd, contract referred to above
he was not sure he could recommend its acceptance because it
was too low, and he felt sure that the Contractor would lose. The maximum security offered, as I understood, was $4,000 which
he considerad ample considering that he kept back 15 per centum
on
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