The Star. MONDAY, JULY 6, 1868.

Star (Christchurch), Issue 45, 6 July 1868, Page 2

The Star. MONDAY, JULY 6, 1868.

Tiira corroapondonco botwoon tho Grovornmonfc anil MoaaraHolmoa and 00,, with i-oferoiico to tho Lyttolton and Ohrisfcchureh railway, waa publiahod in tho Lyttolton Times of this morning, nnd tho publio aro now iv a position to understand, bo far as it can do understood, why tho traffic line boon sfcoppod. Bub thoro is still no satisfactory roason givon for tlio ox* fcromo suddenness witlt whioh tho tunnel was elosod. Messrs Holmea and Co, toll tho publio that thoy did thia bocauflo thoy considorod it necessary for tho " protection of thoii* own intercuts," and that in all, It would bo impoßsiblo, in tho limifcod spaco nfc our disposal, to roviow closely tho wholo of tho coi'i'Oflpondoneo publiahod by our contomporary, but wo will poinfc out a fow facts, nnd loavo tho publio to draw thoir own inforoncos. Tho ooi't'oapondoneo begins on March 01 of fcho current; year, just after tho session of tho Provincial Council, by a roquosii from tho Govornmonfc that M.ossrfl Holmes and 00. will bo good onough to say within what timo thoy will bo propared to comploto tho fcunnol, and hand over tho Lyttelton and Ghristohuroh Hallway, Horo was a plain intimation of what tho Government; intended to do, Mossra Holmes and Co, roply fco fchis lofctor by saying fchnfc thoy oannofc givo an answer to tho quosfciona put by tho Govornmonfc till tlio onginooi' has examined tho work, Tho onginoor is instructed, noxt day, fco oxamino fcho works in com* plianco with Mossrs Holmos and Oo.'s requoHfc, and on May 2 ho roporfcs, Ho doos not think' ifc pracfcioablo to bring fcho ponnauonfc way fco its propor lovol, and to eloso tho shaft;, without; Abutting up tho fcunnol for oighfc clear days, but every othor part of tlw work may bo dono without Hopping tho traffic. Subsequently, fcho Govommont; having agreed fchafc ifc was nofc nocossary or advisablo fco tako up fcho floor ot fcho fcunnol, Mr Dobson reports that •■ tho contractors would havo no difficulty in completing the resfc of fcho work during fcho month of July " without closing tho tunnel for traffic." Itovorfcing to' Mr Dobson's 'I'opovli of f May 8, ho estimates fcho fcimo roquirod ior fcho completion of fcho work nfc from six fco oighfc weoks from dato if tho fcunnol is not closed, nnd at fclu'oo weeks if fcho fcunnol m closed for a short fcimo, On May 0, sovon days affcor fcho dato of Mr Dobson's roport, fcho Govern* mono Bond it to Messrs Holmos and Co,, requesting to bo informed :— -lsfc, Afc what fcimo thoy will guaranfcoo fco dolivor fcho Lyttolton and Uhristchurch liailway over fco fcho Government; in a finished condition, with trains running nil iho fcimo; and 2nd, Afc what fcimo thoy will guarnntoo to dolivor ifc ovor, supposing, as Mr Dobson suggostod, tho traffic wo ro stopped for eight days, Messrs Hol men and Co, w>p)y on May 12, intimating that if fcho gradient ot fcho fcunnol is fco bo altered, that alono will fcako a month, and involve the closing of fcho fcunnol, If fcho gradient; is nofc fco bo altorod, Mossrs Holmos and 00. say fchafc thoy can comploto fcho work in " oighfc to fcon weoks," with trains running, and in six fco eight weeks if .traffic is stopped for oighfc days. Om May 13, tho Govornmonfc request; Messrs Holmes and Co. to measuro up and furnish tho necessary details of all works complotod or thon being oxocutod, with a viow to fcho adjustment;, afc as oarly a dato as pos* Bible, of all contract;*, and agreements, Messrs, Holmes and Co, reply on May 10 fco this roquosfc, promising fco " fur* <( nish fcho dotails nocossary" to an ad-J

justment of aocounta; thoy iutimate, however, that itvwill take eomeooj.sidorablo fcimo to moasuro ail fcho works from tho commencement tb dato, adding, "this wo shall do nsßoouas wo poosibly can," On May 18, Messrs Holmes and Co, furnish fcho Government with "an abstract" of certain claims, and say that thoy would prefor " a sufficient timo, say five or six weeks," to givo tho dotails. Wo must rcqnoßfc our readers to pay particular attention to this lottor, because on it, as wo think, hinges tho wholo complexion of fcho disputo botwoon fcho Govornmonfc and tho contractors. Messrs. Holmos and Co , on May 18, liavo no objections to furnish "dotails" of thoir claims; they givo an "abstract" in tho meantime, of somo of theso, and say positively that fivo or six woeki will bo a " suflicionfc fcimo" for thorn to proparo full particulars. Tho Govornmonfc wait for about four weeks, aud then, haying received no full statement of claims from fcho contractors, warn them that fcho Provincial Council wiii moot on July 3, aud that as tho Government will requiro votes to bo fcakon for all such sums os may be duo on fcho railway contracts, they liavo to inform thorn fchafc thoy shall re^uiro thoir claims to bo sont in, pur* suanfc to their letter of 12th May, and fcho nnswor fchoroto of fcho 13th, in de* tail, including balanco on contracts and other claims mentioned in tho correspondence of May IS. AU these olaims, adds fcho Government, will bo brought boforo fcho Council, and tho amounts votod paid immediately after tho Appropriation Act is passod. Tho Government also intimate that fcho arrangomont thon oxisting for working tho lino will eoaso on July 31, and that they will take tho liuo into their own hands from that date, reminding Messrs Holmos and Co. that thoy had themsolves fixed tho timo at oighfc to ton weeks from May 12, as sufficient fco comploto fcho works mentioned in fcho ongincor's list. Mossrs Holmos and Co., roply to tho Govornmonfc lottor of Juno 17, on Juno 19, expressing regret, aud surprise fchafc tho latter havo " not; mado any roforonco fco fcho offer mado" by them on May 18. This "offor," as Mow.. Holmes now call it, though whon they sent; ifc in thoy called ifc an "abstract" of somo of thoir claims, gavo no dotails. Thoy withdraw tho so-callod " offer " on Juno 19, and con cludo thoir lottor of that dato as follows : — " We furthor bog to stato that " tho Govornmonfc in nofc ronlying to " our lottor of tho 18th May till boforo " tho > 17th Juno, havo not ehewn any " desiro to briug matters to a apoody " conclusion. Wo think ifc is nofc poß* " siblo fco liavo dotails aud propor " accounts furnished boforo tho 3rd " July noxfc, Ji! might havo been done '• had wo had sufficient notico,or had tlw " Qownment intimated their ♦■/•- --" quest a fortnight ago. 11 Now, what aro tho facta P Why, that tho Govornmonfc had requosted " dotails " and " propor accounts " on May 13, or moro tium a mnth previous, Tho Secrotary for Public . Works had written on that dato (May 13) request* ing tho contiutetors to '• furnish a do- " tailod statement of all moneys which " you claim under contract; or ofcher- " wiso." This was plain onough surely, and that Mossrs Holmos and Co. fully understood ifc is clear from their mentioning, on May 18, " fivo or six weoks" as a " sufficient; timo" for tho complo* tion of a detailed statomonfc. Tho Secretary for Public Works roplios to Messrs Holmes and Co.'s lofctor of Juno 10 on Juno 22, nnd gays :— *' In my lottor of tho 13th H May, I requested you to furnish mo " with a delailod statement of all " claims you might considor you had " against tho Govornmonfc. On tho " 18th you wrote in roply thereto, " making claims to the amount of " £22,300 for work alleged to liavo " bcon dono by you, and nofc included " in tho contract for fcho construction " of tho railway, but you did not give " particulars, previously ashed for, " from which tlio Govornmonfc could " lorm an opinion of thoir validity." To this letter, Mossrs Holmes and Co, roply on Juno 2*l, saying that until tlie worlts areiinished they cannot supply a detailed account of their claims, although on May 18 tlioy had named fivo or six weoks from that date tas a " kufficionfc fcimo." Tho romaindor of, tlio corrcipondonco is comparatively

uuimportanfc. On July 2, Mossra. Holmea and Co, intimate to tho Go* vernmont that thoy havo closed the line from fcho ITorrymead junction to Lyttelton, " in order to tho protection of our ewn interest*), and the certain completion of tho work." On July 3, tho Government ask Mr Dobson whe* thor tho stoppage of tho traffic on the lino is necessary to enable tho con* tractors to completo fcho works in the tunnel boforo tho ond of tho month, provided it is not nocossary or advisable to tako up tho floor. Mr Dobson replies, on tho samo date, that if the floor is not disturbed, ho thinks the contractors would have no difficulty in completing tho rest of the tun work during tho current month with* out closing the tunnel for traffic. From thia, wo are bound to infer that tho closing of tho tunnel is not neassary for tho complotion of the work during tho month of July, and that Messrs Holmes and Co, muat fall back on "tlio protection of their own interests" to justify the extreme atop they hava taken.