THE WATERWORKS CONTRACT.

New Zealand Times, Volume XXXIII, Issue 5244, 14 January 1878, Page 3

THE WATERWORKS CONTRACT.

The following letter, enclosing a cheque for £2970 from Mr. Saunders, the contractor for the Waterworks reservoir, has been handed to us for publication by the Mayor ; “Wellington, Jan. 12, IS7S. “Sir, —I have the honor to address you on the subject of Waterworks extras, “I signed a cheque to the contractor for extras amounting to £2970, on the certificate of Mr. Marchant, the engineer iu charge, and on his assurance that at least £IOOO more would be required to be paid under the same head; the latter sum being retained until Mr. Blackett, the Consulting Engineer, and himself had gone over and settled the whole schedule. “ I now learn from the published evidence of Mr. Blackett that, in his opinion, a aura (iu round numbers) of £IOOO charged under the head of extras, should bo classed among ordinary payments of the contract, which gives quite ft different complexion to the matter from that which it had when I had occasion to make inquiry regarding it. “ In these circumstances I made it my business to-day to see the contractor and to put my view of the case before him, when he placed a cheque of £2970, the amount lie had received for extras, in my hands, to be dealt with as the facts of the case and the character of the work may ultimately determine. He has adopted this fair and liberal mode of action, of course without prejudice, perfectly satisfied that he has a right to be paid for the item, referred to by Mr. Blackett as an extra, and that the sum of £4OOO does not exhaust his expenditure under the head. “I have little doubt that it will be found upon further inquiry regarding the pipe culvert the special item in question, that the plans and specifications as advertised, and under which a tender was accepted by the Council, gave eighteen inches as the thickness, and that it was altered after acceptance of the tender, but before the contract was signed to three feet, on the understanding that the additiomd tliickness would be reckoned as an extra. Unfortunately no writing on this or any other extra, or alteration was given by the engineer. “At all events, X regard the , cheque for extras in the most perfect good faith, and I am authorised to state that the contractor has no wish to be paid a single penny more than he is fairly entitled to claim in terms of his contract, of which the cheque he has given may be accepted as a satisfactory proof. “ This cheque I do myself the honor to enclose to you herewith, requesting that you will hold it until the amounts of extras shall be accurately ascertained.—l have, &c., “ William Hutchison. “His Worship J. Dransfield.Esq., “ Mayor of Wellington.”