CO129-350 - Public Offices - 1908 — Page 157

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to ask one of your firm to come and inspect the work, and for these reasons, I am submitting to this committee but I

would point out that the risk of my professional reputation suffering from the recommendations of such a committee is very great. The possibility of such a committee being appointed to enquire into matters of which they have no experience

will tie my hands in future in my decisions on various technical points, and my mind cannot help being blassed in favour of taking no chances no matter what the expense incurred may be rather than run the risk of having a com-

mittee to sit on any trivial mistake, fault or accident,

which may happen in the work.

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9. On any large work the Chief Engineer is bound to take certain risks in the interests of economy and it is

only natural that sometimes failures should occur.

rule these failures can be enquired into by Engineers who

practise in that particular branch of the profession, but

in a small Colony like this such is not possible.

10.

This opens the question of your inspection of the

work and I would ask if it is your intention to inspect the

work within the next year or eighteen months. The point

which to my mind is the most sericus is the question of

lining the Beacon Hill Tunnel.

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11. I am taking the risk of not lining Tunnel in the

centre at present but in case of a fall, His Excellency

may call for a committee to enquire into the matter.

would be impossible to obtain the services of a suitable

committee with a knowledge of Tunnel work in the Colony.

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12. The matter is not pressing now but in view of the

fact that the headings will meet in May 1909 and that the

Tunnel may be fully widened or December 1909 I would like

the question considered as to whether I am justified under

the circumstances in running this risk, considering that I

have