CO129-348 - Governor Sir Lugard - 1908 [7-10] — Page 262

Brosure 2.

Enclosures 344

Closures 576.

259

enclose the instructions which I drafted for their quid-

-ance. I enclose also the report which they have submitted

with Mr. Chatham's covering minute. Before dealing with

that report I will refer briefly to two letters (copies

enclosed) addressed by the Chief Resident Engineer to the

Consulting Engineers and forwarded under dates of July

11th. and 20th. through me under flying seal. In paragraph

3 of the first letter Mr. Eves states that I agreed to

his proceeding with the bridge "but asked that the Director

of Public Works might have a look at the work". The facts

are that on the assurance of the Chief Resident Engineor

that he was only placing the granite blocks of the arch

in their places to see if they would fit, and was not

actually building the arch I consented to his continuing

this work, but informed him that I had instructed the

Director, of Public Works to examine the bridge and report

to me. He protested that this was unnecessary, and I

remarked that in that case no harm would be done, but I

was bound to satisfy myself that it was so.

In this letter the Chief Resident

Engineer exhibits a spirit which I feel bond to condemn.

His argument in bald form is in fact that if he is to be

open to any criticism as to his Engineering Work by the

Goverment