THE ROAD BOARD'S CONSULTING ENGINEER AND HIS DUTIES
Page 9
If you've noticed an error in this article please click here to report it so we can fix it.
More Questions about Colonel Crompton's Freedom and Right to Advise Generally.
In the House of Commons last week, Mr. T. M. Healy asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer whether, as it is admitted that Colonel Crompton, the consulting engineer of the Road Board, frequently acts as consulting engineer to Taroads, Ltd., and the Praed Construction Co., Ltd., the Road Board consider this consistent with his duty as their adviser on various competing methods of road surfacing ; and if so whether the other competing companies are at liberty to secure the impartiality of Colonel Cromnton's advice by also employing him as their consulting engineer'?
Mr. Lloyd George :—" The Road Board are informed by Colonel Crompton that, in accordance with the usual practice of his profession, he acts as consulting engineer for any clients who desire to employ him. The Board consider this is consistent with the satisfactory discharge of the duties which they require from him as their consulting engineer."
Mr. T. M. Healy also asked, in connection with the Road Board's experiments at Sidcup, whether the specifications and descriptions the firms concerned were asked to forward of their processes came before Colonel Crompton, as consulting engineer of the Board, and Were reported upon by him as such ; whether, after having acquired this experience, he applied on the 5th October, 1911, for a patent for a method of road surfacing, which has since been granted under an amended description ; and whether Taroads, Ltd., and the Praed Construction Co., Ltd., are using any machinery and methods covered by this patent'? Mr. Lloyd George :—" The descriptions of the materials used by various contractors in the Sidcun Road trial lengths contained nothing of a. confidential nature. These descriptions and Colonel Crompton's report on their? were set forth in a pamphlet issued by the Road Board in July, 1911, and publicly distributed. I understand that neither Taroads, Ltd., nor the Praed Construction Co., Ltd., is using any machinery or methods covered by the patent referred to in the question, and that such patent does not relate to any method of road surfacing used in any of the trial lengths at Sidcun."