CO129-350 - Public Offices - 1908 — Page 131

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sidered such a proceeding absolutely unnecessary and that I

could not carry out any such order without referring the

matter to you as I was working directly under you in purely

engineering matters and was responsible to you only, that I

considered the crack a very slight affair and of no importance

as it had not got any larger for some time now though it

had been tested almost to its full load up to the present.

He informed me that His Excellency wanted to appoint a select

committee to examine the bridges, and I replied that there

were only two Engineers in the Colony in my opinion capable

of judging on such works as I did not consider any of the

architects qualified to pass an opinion on such structures

as were being built on the Railway.

6. This order has now come to me and I will forward

their report to you as soon as possible together with draw-

ings of the bridges and an account of my reasons for founding

as I did.

as to

7. In the meanwhile I would ask you to inform me

my position with regard to any recommendations they may put

forward. I do not know as yet who will form the committee

but from the small number of Civil Engineers accustomed to

Railway construction and its methods, I cannot bind myself

to carry out any suggestions they may put forward without

first referring the matter to you, who are the Consulting

Engineers and advisors of the Government of Hong Fong in this

matter.

8.

I fullyrecognise the position His Facellency has

taken in this matter. He has explained to me that he feels

bound to show that while not being in a position to judge of

the seriousness or otherwise of the cracks he has taken steps

to inquire into the matter fully in case of a future accident

on the Railway.

I also acknowledge that it would be absurd

to