CO129-350 - Public Offices - 1908 — Page 82

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Engineer for sanitary matters to the Government of Hong Kong

for upwards of twenty years.

4. Mr.Chadwick accordingly drew up the specifications

and forms of tender. The form of tender for the pipes (a

copy of which is enclosed for easy reference) was prepared in

accordance with the information given in the Colonial indent

that the pipes were to be tested to 1500 lb. pressure, firms

being left to state what thickness of pipe they proposal to

supply.

5. Mr.B.Smith of Wednesbury, whose tender was the lowest

of the ten firms invited to tender, offered two alternative

thicknesses:

3/16" thick pipes for £462.10.0

No.4 wire gauge, i.e. 0.23 inch, £562.10.0.

6. The tenders were refered to Mr.Chadwick and after an

analysis of the metal to be used had been made he advised that

Mr.E.Smith's tender for the thicker pipes should be accepted.

The order was placed accordingly and the pipes were inspected

under Mr.Stangar's supervision and despatched to Hong Kong

in December 1903.

17. Since receiving the reports from the Colony regarding

the unsatisfactory performance of these pipes, we have dis-

cussed the matter with Mr. Chadwick, Mr.Stanger, and Mr.E.

Smith, and have carefully considered the available information.

8. We do not think that faulty inspection can be brought

home to Mr.Stanger. Although this would perhaps be a natural

conclusion on the part of the Colonial Government we do not

find anything pointing conclusively to defective inspection,

and we think that Mr.Stanger's report to Mr. Chadwick of the

4th December 1906, a copy of which was submitted to you with

our letter of 5th March 1907, shewed that the inspection had

not