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"The original statement of £5,000, as being the difference of cost, cannot be
maintained, and has since been modified to the extent of nearly one-half, i.e., £2 525 15s.,
plus the cost of accidents, legal and other incidental expenses, amounting to £459 4s.
"The information and figures given in the Surveyor's report, made at the request
of the Works Committee, appear substantially accurate and reliable, and could it be
demonstrated that the work carried out by the Works Committee was precisely identical
with that subsequently performed by the contractors, your Committee's task would
have been easy, and the two sums last quoted would represent exactly the extra cost
involved in employing our own labour, but this identity is not manifest, and upon this
point turns the whole question.
"Other parishes have been consulted, but, working on quite different bases, they
help us but little It is strongly urged, as partly accounting for the contractor's price,
that the deepest and most difficult portions were known to be already done, while,
per contra, it is stated that the contractors would have done the whole of the work at
the same price.
"It must be noted that there is really no sealed contract existing; also that the
Company's arrangement of 8/6 per yard is for two-way conduits, and 9/8 for three-way.
The Company's work appears to have been mostly two-way, while of the Committee's
work fully half has been three-way. This may, perhaps, somewhat enhance the value
of the Committee's work, but it is impossible to say how far. The contractor's work
appears to have been mostly under footways, the Committee's apparently about half
foot and half roadway.
"On reviewing the whole question we cannot but think that the cost of the work
has been somewhat excessive. The quality of the work done is admitted all round to
be satisfactory.
"We think had the extent and costliness of the work required been fully realised
beforehand, that more complete arrangements for supervision would have been made,
and the Vestry might well have required an approximate estimate of the cost before
instructing the Committee to execute the work.
"When the Vestry ordered fresh gangs to be put on we consider the supervision
was still inadequate, and there was loss through superfluous labour being employed.
In Kingsland Road a considerable length of trench appears to have been opened in
error, and thus much work was wasted, but we cannot fix the responsibility for this,
the evidence being so directly conflicting. It seems that occasionally some incompetent
men were employed, and that several were discharged during the progress of the
work.
"We have considered this matter quite apart from personal considerations, but
we cannot ignore the evident fact that friction and opposition have prevailed between
the representatives of the two Committees. This has had the usual effect of
retarding progress and tending to increase the cost.
"We think it should not be hastily assumed that no Board can do its own work
profitably. It is solely a question of management, and direct interest in the exercise
of care and economy. If employment is given as "relief" in any sense, or if supervision
is lax, the attempt will fail. The experiment under absolutely similar conditions
has yet to be tried.
"We can see no useful service to the Vestry in making any other recommendation
than that this report be received, and that the facts of the case should be borne in mind
by the members, in order that a recurrence of similar circumstances may be prevented.
"F. M. WENBORN,
"October 12th, 1897." "Chairman.
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