§ Sir W. de FRECEasked the Secretary of State for the Colonies whether, in the case of any railway work now being carried out Departmentally in Kenya, any comparative tender was first of all obtained from private firms; and, if not, what expert opinion was first obtained as to the minimum cost at which such work could be carried through?
Mr. THOMASThe only construction work arising out of the question is that of the extension of the Thika branch to the 2547W Tana River, a distance of 58 miles. Tenders for the whole work were not invited, but full use is being made of competitive local contracts for portions of the work. Estimates were prepared by the Resident Engineer who represents the Government on the construction of the Uasin-Gishu line and also by the Railway Department, and the plans and estimates were examined by the consulting engineers, on whose advice my predecessor authorised the construction. A revised estimate shows a saving of about 6 per cent. on the lower of the two original estimates.