BUILDERS AND GOVERNMENT CONTRACTS.

New Zealand Herald, Volume XXVIII, Issue 8541, 15 April 1891, Page 5

BUILDERS AND GOVERNMENT CONTRACTS.

[BY TELEGRAPH.—press ASSOCIATION.] Wellington, Tuesday. A deputation of builders which waited on the Minister of Public Works to-day proposed that an arbitration ylause should be inserted in contracts to decide disputes as to additions to or deviations from the plans instead of leaving the matter to the Engi-neer-in-Chief as final umpire. The Minister objected to arbitration on account of its cost, and also because as a general rule in arbitration a Government must go the wall, besides which the Engi-neer-in-Chief was an officer above suspicion, •who would not do an injustice to any contractor. If ho were not he would not be fit to hold his position. Mr. Carmichael suggested that the difficulty of expense could be gob over by making the appealing contractor deposit; £100 as a guarantee for arbitration costs. The Minister said arbitration was not usual with Governments either at home or in the colonies. The contractors had now to deal with a resident engineer. Then they had a right to appeal to the Engineer-in-Chief, next to the Minister of Public Works, and ultimately , to the House, and any contractor who made out a good case could there be sure of relief.

Mr. Hales, Acting Engineer-in-Chief, Raid he had always found that where there was any doubt the contractor got the benefit of it. 5 In the course of farther discussion, the Minister pointed out that if arbitration were allowed to building contractors, it would have to be extended to larger works, such as railway contracts. Once the principle were admitted, scarcely one contract let by Government would be completed without an arbitration. With the number of contracts let by Government the trouble would bo interminable, and, the expense enormous. The Minister was firm upon the point that he could nob put Government contracts on the same footing in this respect as those let by private architects. Mr. Carmichael suggested that the conditions for building should be made dilferent from those for general works. The Minister said he would not be unwilling to classify the conditions by removing such as were unsuited to the building trade, and he promised to consider the matter and see what could be done.