CITY ELECTRIC SYSTEM.

Auckland Star, Volume LII, Issue 60, 11 March 1921, Page 6

CITY ELECTRIC SYSTEM.

TENDERS FOR PLANT ACCEPTED. FINANCE NOT PROVIDED FOR. Tenders for plant for the city electric system were dealt with and accepted at a special meeting- of the City Council last evening subsequent to a meeting of the Council in committee, at which the extension of the system and financial matters in connection therewith were considered. The resolution accepting the tenderß, passed at the special meeting of the Council on the resolution of the Mayor, Mr. J. H. Gunson, was set out as follows:—That the question of making financial provision under the £500,000 loan for proposed electricity extensions be referred to the Finance and Legal Committee, and that subject to such finance being adequately arranged, the following tenders recommended by the electrical engineer be accepted: — Section A—Generator Plant: British General Electric Co. £33,675 Remainder of machinery: British Thomson Houston Co. 77,150 Section B—Boilers: Bal>cook and Wilcox 81,000 Section C—Cables: Oallenders Cable Co 17,500 Coal handling plant 13.700 Total £285,025 The list of tenders —the lowest In each, section being recommended for adoption by the electrical engineer—-waa as follows: — Section A. —English Electrical Co., £191,000; Metropolitan Vickers, £181,000; British Thomson Houston Co., £186,000; Brush Co., £218,000; British General I Electric Co., £172,000. By selecting the I British Electric Company's price for the generator plant and that of th« British Thomson Houston Co. for the remainder of the machinery, the wholewill be obtained for £1175 less than the lowest tender for the whole. Section B.—Babcock and Wilcox, £81,000; Stirling Boiler Co., £82,523. Section C—Calenders Cable Co., £17,500; British Insulated and Helsby Cables, £18,450; W. T. Henleys Telegraph Co., £17,625; Western Electric Co., £20,225; Siemens Bros, and Co., £19,550: Glover and Co., £20,500; Pirelli Cable Co. £18,300; Johnson Phillips, £21,350. Commitments in the revenue account of the Electricity Department were set out in a statement which showed the credit balance on December 31, 1920, to be £3025, as follows: — Capital expenditure from December 31, IC2O, to February 28, 1921, was shown as £10,200. Works to be-actually carried out by July 31, 1921, were:—ln hand: Ponsonby high tension cable, £2000; One Tree Hill (Mount St. John Avenue), £50. To be undertaken immediately: Remuera direct current (both sides of main Toad up to and including Victoria Avenue), £800; Epsom alternating current area, £600; Heme Bay alternative current area, west of Curran Street, £700; total, £4150. (These figures represent labour only.) The following works were to be gone on with after July: Remuera alternative current area, Ellerslie, Mount Roskill alternative current erea, One i Tree Hill alternative current area. Grey j Lynn and Arch Hill alternative current area. Materials to arrive were:—Poles etc., £2450; local purchases, £1000; insulators, £150; and power station accounts totalled £3600, making a total liability of £7200. The new cable from Hobson Street power house to Queen Street would cost £3600. The grand total was therefore £25.150. The Mayor stated in connection with the electricity loan of £500.000 that on December 4 he interviewed the Rt. Hon. W. F. Massey, Minister of Finance, and pointed out to him that it waa not anticipated that the Council could succeed [in placing its loan at 5* per cent even [at a discount of £94. To this Mr. MasI sey replied that thp Government would j assist the Council with its finances if it j failed to raise the loan on these terms, j This arrangement was confirmed, added i Mr. Gunson, in a letter under date of J December 4« as follows: —"The city elec- ! trical engineer, who is now in London, will be cabled to. to proceed with the purchase of machinery (about £300,000) as you kindly' intimated that you would, jif necessary, aspist us. as you have done I others, by finding the money for extenj sions to the city electrical station which are so urgent." This letter was never replied to by Mr. Massoy. said Mr. Gunson, and the matj ter remained with that understanding. j ilr. Gunson then moved:—"That whereas the Public Services Committee has advised that it is necessary to provide, as from December 31 last, the sum of £25,150 to complete electrical extension I works in hand under the last authorisaItion, irrespective of the proposed extenj sion works under the half-million loan, ! and whereas at December 31 last there I was a credit of only £3026 in the curj rent year's account from which this ex- ! penditure has to be met, it is hereby i resolved that the arranging of immedi- , ate adequate financial provision to enable I the work to proceed be referred to the j Finance and L«gal Committee for con- | sideration and report." I This was adopted unanimously.