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mean that the Government would not go simply to an engineering firm and say we want you to build us a row of houses." They would have to conform to the same routine as we do. That is to say, plans and estimates would have to be prepared and approved, and then they would have to be submitted and authority obtained from the Secretary of State.

Q-But I mean, isn't the progress of the work slower under the Public Works Department than under outside firm?

A-No. Take the Governor's Peak Residence. The contract for that was let in July, 1900, and it is now nearing completion. Compare that with the late Mr. COOKE'S house in Barker Road. It was begun long before the Governor's Peak Residence and is only about completed now. The Governor's Peak Residence is, of course, a very much larger work than Mr. COOKE's house.

Q-That is not a fair comparison. About roads, Mr. CHATHAM, don't you think that the condition of some of these roads is due to the fact that contractors bribe the overseers ?

A-There may be something of the sort done, but I don't think the condition of the roads is due to that.

Q-Don't you think that the overseers are bribed to allow the use of improper materials or an insufficiency of materials, such as lime or cement?

A-Most of the roads that have given rise to complaint are simply macadamised, not concreted, and the contractor could not have used any but the proper material without its being apparent to any one.

Q-The roads lately have been in a dreadful condition and the idea I got was that the overseers did not see to the proper preparation of the stuff.

A-No, that is not so. That is the disadvantage of the grey granite which we are using now. It pulverises and in that way a moderately smooth road is obtained, but the result is that in excessively dry weather there is an immense accumulation of dust, and directly rain comes, it is converted into mud all over the place. Our roads are not worse in that respect than some I have seen myself in cities at home. In Bristol, where lime-stone is used, I have waded through creamy stuff.

Q-But you would not call that a very good road?

A-Yes, they were good roads under normal conditions.

Q-Do you think our roads here compare favourably with the roads at home?

A-I think they do.

By Mr. TaUKBURN-Is this granite the best material you can get ?

A-Really, the blue stone ought to be splendid material for roadmaking if you had the traffic for it. If you had heavily-loaded carts passing over it all day, the blue stone is an excellent material, but it doesn't answer for our traffic. The roads in Scotland are largely made of that blue stone and I don't think there are finer roads anywhere.

Q-With regard to Government doing some of its work through a private archi- tect, of course there might be a difference when it came to a large work such as a reser- voir which is an engineering work. The officers of the Public Works Department are mainly fitted for that class of work, but when a Post Office is wanted, for instance, a fine architectural building, don't you think it would be better to give the work out to a private firm? If these matters were entrusted to private architects you could get designs and buildings which would be a credit to the Colony. I mean no disparage- ment to men who are engineers, not architects.