THOMPSONS TRACK.

Te Aroha News, Volume VIII, Issue 489, 16 July 1890, Page 2

THOMPSONS TRACK.

A NICE MUDDLE.

We republish from the Bay of Plenty Times the following : The ordinary meeting of the Taurnnga!County.Council was' held in the Council Chambers on Tuesday; Ist inst., at 2 p.m. Present :- Crs J. Brown (Chairman), Macmillan, Benneit, Pratt, Armstrong, and Crawford. Thompson’s Track : From the SurveyorGeneral enclosing report pf Mr Fairbairn on Tljompson’s Track, ' >

THOMPSON’S TRACK. General Survey Office. Wellington, 30th May, 1890. Sib. —ln farther reply to your letter of the Bth January last, I havei to inform you that Mr Fairbairn has been over the two contracts on “ Thompson's Track” and has furnished a report to the Goverment thereon. r

. It would appear that the plans and specifications for this work were prepared by Capt Turner, and by him submitted to the Engineer in Chief before tenders were called for the work, and that such plans and specific cations were approved. Subsequently tenders were called for on these plans and specifications, (with some alterations relating to culverts) but that before the contract was signed some alterations were made in the specifications by Mr Loucli (and with the contractors concurrence), one of the principal being the striking out from the conditions of any reference to the plans. (Mr Louch, it is said denies that this reference to plans was struck but by him, hut that it was so erased in the orginal). It was on these amended specifications, which differed from those on which the tenders had been sent in, and also from the form in which the Engineer in Chief had approved of them, that the contractor proceeded to work, and’the result is, as is clearly shown by a number of observations taken by Mr Fairbaim, that the work as formed differs materially from the plans as approved by the Engineef in Chief; —so much.so, that whilst the grades! shown in Mr Turner’s plans vary from T in 14 to 1 in 53, the formed road varies from 1 in 6 to 1 in 172,and amongst them are grades of I in 9, I in 7,1 in 10,1 in 7,1 in 6,1 in 12, I in 7, I ia 10,1 in 7,1 in 9,1 in 6, and I in .10, all between 2miles;4Bchains and 5 miles 41/chains. In writing to me Mr Louch says tracings were obtained from the Minister of' Public, Works and were; used by me 1 in • determining the, deviations of the horsel track during the con.; struction of the work, so as not to injuriously affect the proposed grade of the coach road from which it would appear that that ’gentlemeij had the means of ascertaining whether the oontract was being carried out according to the plans approved by the .Engineer in Chief. The conclusion that is forced on me by the reading of Mr Fairbairn’s report is that Mr

Turner’s plans and specifications as approved by the Engineer in Chief have been deviated from considerably, so much so in the western side of the range that the grades will have to be run again before the road is converted into a coach road.

In saying this I acknowledge that Mr Loach-had difficulties to contend with in connection wit! the charge of supervision of the County works, but I consider that before deviating from plans which had been ap proved by the Engineer in Chief, and on which monies were granted t 6 the County, he should have submitted these alterations to the Government through the County authorities. —I have, &c., S. Percy Smith, 'Surveyor. General, A’ The Chairman Tauranga County Council. The Chairman ashed for .remarks upon it;- Wi«»| Cr Macmillan”; Was not an engineer, and’ the report could only affect an engineer. Cr Pratt: Was sorry Cr Killen was not present, as he^was- the Chairman who diad sjgned the contract. Vft was conceived in secrecy, and he never knew how the con tractor got the work, as he was the highest tenderer. It was said ;that,.the sureties of the unsuccessful tenderer were ndt good enough ; but as the contractor was a Katikati limn he got it. The Council had been hoodwinked all along, and the road had not been made, according to Mr Turner’s grades ; for the grades in Mr Fairbaim’s plan were 1 in 6 to IJn 10; and Mr Turner’s grades were not less than I in 15.—-The Council had paid the contracts LSO extra, and the Engineer L4O, he would move a vote of censure on the Engineer and Cr Killen.

Cr Macmillan * A mis-statement had been made by Cr Pratt. The highest tender Was only a few pounds over, 'the lowest, and Judge Gill, who was a member for Waimapu, moved that both tenders he sent to Government, as Government would not allow certain bridges, that were required to he made. Cr Killen as Chairman was obliged‘to make the best terms lie could. Cr Crawford : Who the contrrctor was had little to do with the matter ; but the grades had been altered for the worse, and as they had been altered at Wellington, the Chairman should enquire into it. It was » had hat. The Chairman : Was in the Council and proposed a vote of censure against Cr Killen, as heconsidered it was a hole and corner affair, as the contract \vas signed only eight'days before the Council met. Mr Fairhairn’s report showed that the grades had been altered, and Cr Crawford said the specifications had been altered in Wellington. He would call the Engineer to state who altered the grades. Engineer: Cr Pratt says the grades in Mr Turner’s plans were not less than I in 15. The plans are here, and the Councillors can see that Mr Turner’s were 1 in 14, lin 12, lin 13, and lin 12. Mr Turner made no provision in the specifications for bridges over creeks that had muddy bottom-, and sc he had to make arrangements with the contractor to contour the line, to enable him to erect temporary bridges. On the western side the creeks were wholly different, being hard rocky bottoms, lie had committed an error of judgment in not living t ie matter before the Council, but some parties in the Council were trying to evict him from office. No ’plan* were submitted to the contractor, and there were no grade pegs from one end of the line to the other. The road dipped from 20 to 30 feet, so the contractor was allowed to contour, and make the best of it. Chairman : Who altered the grades ! Engineer : I did, and should have reported to you, hut it would have been reflecting on Capt. Turner. Upon again producing the plans the grades averaged fioin.l in 11 to lin 15. It would have stopped the works. Cr Pratt : Was glad to hear that the Engineer admitted an error in judgement, but he ought to have brought the matter before the Council. Cr Bennett: Hid not consider that the payment had anything to do with it. According to the Surveyor General’s letter, there had been an alteration in the grades, The Engineer had admitted the error lie made in not reporting to Council the absence of grade pegs, and he thought the Council should look with leniency on the matter. ’ \ •

(Jr Macmillan—Was glad to h 'ar the remarks of Cr Benpat. There were no jgrude pegs, and the Engineer ought to have reported to the Council. He had great difficulties to contend with. When Mr Turner was here some time ago he asked whether he had put the pegs in, and lie said he had, and (lie Chairman had said you could not believe a contractor.

The Chairman denied this. Cr Macmillan—You did, and it . was in print . 'i; l .. The Chairman appealed to. the Councillors, but they did not remember.

Cr Macmillan—'lt was a small matter whether Mr Turner put in the pegs or not, as the ratepayers had notliing to do with that since Government found the money. He considered Mr Fairhairn’s report was very vague, and thought it a pity that Cr Killen Was not present.

Cr Bennett considered it would be better to close the matter, and moved that the discussion be closed.

Seconded by Cr Crawford and carried, Cr Killen entered the room. The Engineer’s report re Thompson’s Track was read. be Thompson’s track coach road.

Tauranga, 30th June, 1890.

Sir, —I beg to report for your* information the necessity of drawing tha attention of the Surveyor - General to the advisability of reconsidering the grades as laid down by Captain Turner on the. sectional drawings of the proposed coach road, on the western side of the Te Aroha ranges. I find grades are laid down thereon as I in 14, lin 11.5,1 in 14.5,1 in 12.5, lin 12,5,1 in 13, I in 14.6, 1 in 12, lin 13.5, &c., and as the proposed road when completed will be of considerable importance to the district in connecting the East Coast with the interior of the County, affording communication with the existing railway to Auckland, I consider the grades should not be steeper than from I in 20 or I in 30 throughout, and which can easily be, run without expensive, cuttings or fillings, ; The interests of the districts to be benefitted by this short link line demands that no time should be Ipst in urging the Government to complete so. necessary a work, —I am, &c., , . .. . Fitz-Gibbon Louch. CoUDty Engineer.

To the Chairman Tauranga County Council, Resolved, on the motion of Cr Crawford, seconded by Cr Macmillan, that ;the report lie on the table.