THE ADDITIONAL TRAM CARS.

Auckland Star, Volume XXXVII, Issue 262, 9 November 1906, Page 3

THE ADDITIONAL TRAM CARS.

I .A.ON- FOR THE DELAY

FCi.THET. TIME ASKED FOR

A lengthy letter was forwarded to the Auckland City Council last night from Mr. P. XI. Hansen in reply to the notification of the Council that it intended to enforce a fine of £S per day on the company in respect of the default of the company to provide additional cars, .as required by the Council.

The writer detailed the difficulties with which the company had had to contend, and said that, with reference to the difficulties in regard to three of the rive additional cars which were to have been completed before July 31. that the contract for the five new car.-, which the Council had demanded before the notice of -July 19 was served upon the company, consisted of two double-bogie car bodies and three radial truck car bodies. So far the Con. ins and Atkin Carriage Factory. Limited, had built only a small four-wheel oar. and therefore tbe order for these five cars of an entirely new type practically resulted in the starting of an entirely new industry. To enable the contractor- to satisfactorily build these car bodies, elaborate plans and specifications had to be provided, which, of course, took up a good deal of time. If the company had ordered these car bodies from London no such time would have been lost: and the same may be said if it had adhered to the small carbody type, previously built by the local contractors; but in the latter case they would not have given the city such up-to-date and convenient car- as were now

being supplied. As quickly as possible the plans and specifications for the two double-bogie ear bodies were got out, and after they were approved by the (!overnment the order wu- placed: these two cars were completed before the expiration of the 130 days' notice, and wore now running as cars No. 37 and No. 58. As soon as the last-mentioned cars had been placed on order the company proceeded with the plans and specifications for the three car bodies for the radial trucks. The whole of the correspondence between the company and the Government regarding the radial truck was summarised. The plans and specifications, he said, were placed before the Department on April .0 la-St. The company had assumed that the Department ivai familiar with the working of the radial truck, and it was not prepared for a request to b.- supplied with a plan of the truck. This request, however, was made, and it necessitated .-eliding to London for the plan, which reached Auckland at the end of July. Correspondence and negotiations with the Department then touk up considerable time, and it was not until October 2 that the approval of the plans was obtained, the order for the three cars being given on October 5. "Unfortunately, how_ver," said Air. Hansen, "the thr-_ months' contract time for these car bodies falls not only during the busiest season of our contractors, but the Christmas and NewYear holidays will also considerably interfere with the progress of the building of the same." He went on to quote a letter from the Cousins and Atkiu Company, who asked the Tramways Company "to consider the advisability of agreeing to give us a bonus, if we find, owing to overtime payments, the ears have not paid us." The contractors also asked for a stipulation that no penalties would be enforced. In reply to the above letter, Mr. Hansen said his company's ac.tion towards the contra_to_E must be

guided by the treatment received by the Tramways Company at the hands of the City Council. Mr. Hensen urged that the delay was entirely beyond his company's control, and he pointed out that the deed of delegation provided that the company should not be liable iot any delays on the part ''of any inspector appointed by the Governor,'' etc. The Public Works Department, he said, might claim that the company should have been prepared for their demanding the plans and other information in regard to the radial truck, but against this the company claimed that the Department unnecessarily delayed their decision. He added: "There was absolutely no reason whatsoever, as far as my company is

concerned, to cause any delay within our control, but quite on the contrary, we had ever3 _ reason, and it was our utmost desire, to add the three cars to our rolling stock before the commencement of the summer season. I therefore respectfully submit to the City Council that any delay has been caused by circumstances beyond the control of my company, and that the circumstances are such that no penalty has accrued against my company. I also respectfully ask that five months be added to our time limit, plus 14 days, which, as already stated, must now necessarily be lost in the

completion of the said ear bodies, owing ito the Christmas and New Year holij days. Since it is difficult to do full jus- ; tice to a matter of this kind by writing, I should be very glad if the Council would give mc an opportunity of appearing before them or their committee to personally give a further detailed explanation." The letter was referred to the Streets Committee. Tbe Finance Committee, reporting on the question of the completion of the two car. required by February 2S next, recommend that the matter be deferred till February, when the committee will be prepared to consider the matter on 1 hearing from the company as to the ! progress made. This was agreed to. ! :