87

11.—7

trenches where no boxing is required, and £2 10s. where boxing is put in. At thoso prices, having the bluestono on the ground, broken by a stone-crusher and. steam-power, and having a large quantity to do, it must be self-evident that the more I could put in the better it would bo for me ; and rather than reduce the foundations one inch it would have been to my interest to have increased them to 10ft., seeing that I was making a very considerable profit out of the concrete. So far as this crack is concerned, Mr. Brindley himself called attention to it before a brick was set on the wall. My own impression—but lam not prepared to be positive about it—is that the crack is about here [indicating on plan], in the centre of the north ambulatory No. 2. 1 have a very strong impression that it was there, but perhaps Mr. Brindley, who took more notice of it than I did, will say more definitely. I have also an impression that there was another crack a few feet away —perhaps 15ft. or 20ft., but I will not speak positively. I am, however, under the impression that there were two cracks, and that Mr. Brindley called my attention to it. It has been said that there were no cracks up to the time that the building was taken off my hands —if I remember aright the building was finished in January or February, 1884. At that time this crack had shown to a very slight extent after the plaster was on, but I am sure that neither Mr. Brindley nor I gave much consideration to it. We thought that the weight of the superstructure would consolidate and bind it, and that the weight would prevent the back-thrust from throwing the wall down or cracking the wall. The crack in the floor, it appears, was not seen until after the laundry was commenced, and that I had no connection with. It was not noticed till after then, and the question may arise whether I had not really got clear of this building before that crack was seen. Pehaps I may be pardoned for making a statement that is hardly relevant to this inquiry. But there have been so many statements in reference to the Seacliff Asylum that I wish to refer to some of them. For instance, in one of the newspapers of the 11th instant, it has been stated that I did not receive any payment for extra work until after I had been elected a member of the House of Eepresentatives. That is totally untrue. I never received from the Public Works Department, either directly or indirectly, one halfpenny since I was nominated to the House. This is, perhaps, digressing, but I wish this statement to appear in the evidence, as the statement I have been referring to has been made in the public Press. As to this toothing which has been spoken of, I remember it quite distinctly. It was so ordered by Mr. Brindley, and his reason for ordering it was that it was intended at some future time to extend the building at the north and south end. This gable was only a temporary one, and it was put in so that it could be easily taken out again without interfering with the side walls. You can quite understand that it was not a saving to the contractor to tooth it, because it was carried up with the side walls. You have heard of this temporary gable on the top, but if you refer to the plans and specifications you will not find one single word said about it. I could have taken this ground safely : that I had nothing whatever to do with it, as it is neither shown nor specified. Instead of that I built the gable in 9in. brickwork, and consider it ample for all the purposes required. Mr. Brindley took great offence at it, and wrote a great many letters on the subject. Mr. Laioson : There is no elevation in that part. Mr. Gore : It is neither shown nor specified. Mr. Lawson: It is filled in to the gable. The Chairman : Where the ragged ends are left to the wall. Mr. Gore : I do not know, gentlemen, that there is any more information that I can give you. Perhaps Mr. Blair would like some information on points that I have not touched on. If so, I shall be very glad to give it. 1815. Mr. Lawson : I merely wish to ask you the same question that I put to the other witnesses. Whether, in the disputes between Mr. Brindloy and yourself, I coincided with Mr. Brindley or with you ? —I think that on several occasions you agreed with me, so far as I remember, more particularly towards the last part of the work. 1816. Can you specify the things?—No; I cannot. But I can tell you what you disagreed with me about. You compelled me to take some concrete out; and you also condemned our bricks, regardless whether they were all good or all bad. If you will rofer "to that book you will find that there was a considerable quantity of good bricks amongst them. I wished the good bricks to bo put on one side, but, on Mr. Brindley's representations, your yourself• condemned them in a mass. As a matter of fact, Ido not know that very many disputes of that kind occurred. Ido not remember them. The disputes were more between Mr. Brindley and myself, and were as to his interfering with the men, and as to the packing. Mr. Brindloy seemed to be under the impression that he had power to interfere with the men, and to tell them to do this, that, or the other, and that they had to do it. But I as contractor, knowing perfectly well that divided power cannot exist without someone losing, and that I would be the one on whom serious loss would fall, I would not submit to it. 1817. Mr. Skinner.] Why was the foundation put in by the yard and not as in the original contract?— Because the site was altered, and the foundations were materially altered. The foundations were put in entirely new ground. It was a different section of ground. There was not a piece of ground the size of this table that was level then. Where the kitchen is now there was a large hill. Whenever I was out as Seacliff when concrete was being put in, Ido not remember Mr. Brindley not being present in the trenches. While the concrete was going on he almost lived in the trenches. I believe that every trench was set out by Mr. Brindley in conjunction with the foreman for the time being. 1818. Were there any deductions in the final account ?—No, not in the concrete. There waa an increase in the quantity, in the final certificate of 700 yds. Mr. Blair : I. will not put in the final certificate just now.