CIVIL ENGINEERS.

Press, Volume LXI, Issue 18310, 18 February 1925, Page 6

CIVIL ENGINEERS.

ANNUAL CONFERENCE.

About 200 delegates attended the annual Conference of the New Zealand Society of Civil Engineers, which opened at Canterbury Collogo yesterday under the presidency of Mr A. Dudley Dobson.

In his address of welcome the Mayor (Mr J. A. Flesher) paid a tribute to the president by remarking that the name of Dobson was a household word in all parts of the Dominion, particularly in the part in which the Conference was located this year. His initials might be taken as standing for "Anno Domini Dobson." (Laughter.') Mentioning that the Christchurch members of the Society, like himself, were proud of the city of Christchurch. especially of its great education facilities, Mr Flesher stated that the engineering establishment in the College was the envy of the rest of N T ew Zealand. He was interested to learn that the Society was comparatively young. Only 11 years, he understood, had elapsed since its initiation, but in the interim the. membership had increased to .",70. It was good to sec that all branches of engineering were recognised by the Society, mining and hydro-electric as well as others. He hoped that the Society would continue to insist on high qualifications for its members. That wa3 most important in a profession that carried out the country's most vital undertakings. They had to acknowledge the great value of the trained engineer to every community. Hardly any community undertaking was launched but the advice of engineering experts was called upon, especially in the expenditure of large sums of public money. Tho cry should be "efficiency combined with economy," not only in public, but in private undertakings, so that the best could be assured. The time would come when no one would be allowed to practise his profession without the production of evidence of his qualifications. Although at tho present stage the inclusion of such a class might be necessary, he thought that there should be no "associate" members of the Society., Every person admitted to Hie Society should have a standing that would enable the Society to say "he is a member of our Society and therefore has our backing that his work will be satisfactory." The engineer was the pioneer of progress—he blazed the trail of development. Sixty years ago the president and his father were engaged in the construction of the Lyttelton tunnel. Greater works had been accomplished since those days in Xew Zealand, and mistakes were, relatively speaking, very few. Mr Dobson, in thanking tho Mayor for his welcome, stated that one -thing the Society hoped to do was to con-, vinee local bodies of the. fact that it did not pay them to employ unqualified men.

•Mr Cyrus R. J. Williams, referring to the Mayor's remarks on the subject of associate members, said he wished to clear up any misunderstanding as to the term. Associate members were junior members. The only difference between associate members and others was that members had more experience.

The Dean of the Faculty of Engineering at Canterbury College, Professor Powell, also extended a welcome to the members. » Members elected to.tho new Council wore Messrs E. A. Shrimpton, J. Burnett, A, J. Baker, F. do Gurrier, H. H. Sharp, F. J. Williams, and T.'. M. ! Ball.

Annual Report. Tile annual report of, the president, which was adopted, stated that "there were 3<M members (of whom. 139 \vcre associates and 23 students), as against' 339 for the preceding year. The Council continued to regard it as'all-' important that the status of the Society should be maintained, and, as far as possible, • improved. With this object in view it felt bound to reject two applications for admission to • membership, and adjourned four applications for further consideration. It has also required 16 applicants to-sit for examination, three of whom arc students asking for transfer to the class of associate. • During the last session of Parliament the Engineers' Registration Bill was eventually placed on." the Statute Book. For many years' the Council, its Executive Committee, and sub-committees had worked hard to secure this very .much needed legislation. Several drafts had been prepared, discussed and • amended, and, after meeting, and discussing with, members of the Institution of Electrical Engineers, fiirther amendments were made with the object of meeting, as far as was deemed tp be desirable, the views of-these members. The Act provided for a large modicum of that for which the Society asked, and it was hoped that the measure will be of much benefit, not only to all engineers, but especially to the ratepaying community, and to the general public. The Council had selected as the Society's representatives on the Registration Board Messrs F.'W. Mac Lean, Matthew Cable, and David K. Blair as representing the civil, electrical, and mechanical interests respectively. A vote of condolence with the relatives of three deceased members, Messrs Lawrence Birks, Edwin Cuthbert, and Christopher B, Sealy, was passed.. Messrs Watkins, Hull, Hunt,' ' and Wheeler were re-e-lected auditors.

Tenure of Office The president referred to the tenure of office of engineers employed by public bodies, and suggested that the matter be discussed by the Conference. Mr F. \7. Furkert stated that the position was certainly anomalous, and no engineer should be in the position of facing instant dismissal if his employers disliked him, although the employer had certainly a right to dismiss a man, under reasonable conditions, •if he were .unsatisfactory. He moved that the matter be referred to the Council. Mr S. A. Mair moved as an amendment that the matter be left in the hands of a committee to report to the Conference. He was well satisfied,with the local body whieh lie himself served, but there were unfortunately many local bodies that did not trea.t their employees as.well as they should. Mr" A. J. Paterson seconded the amendment and dcclaied that engineers employed by local bodies did not have the same rights as a servant girl. It was not right that an engineer should be liable to instant dismissal as he was under present conditions. Mr 11. F. Toogood held that the amendment did not go far enough. The committee should have proper legal advice on the subject, even if it proved costly. The provision creating the anomaly under which local bodies' engineers laboured was a hopeless maze. Mr Furkert stated that as to securing legal advice, the matter had been considered by the Council, and it was found that it would cost fifty guineas: There was no need to enrich the legal profession when the method suggested by him would have the same result. The Government did not wish to hear the opinions of eminent K.C. 's so much as the situation in which the men affected found themselves. Finally the amendment was carried, and a committee was appointed to report on the subject to-morrow evening.

Physical Laboratory. Mr 11. F. Toogood moved that the Council point out to the Government the necessity of establishing a I)ominioji

Phvsical Laboratory, and Bureau of Standards for the testing of. materials and the .establishment of standards, Canterbury College tests, he stated, were confined mainly to hydraulic, tensile and comprehensive tests. Isolated laboratories had accomplished much of value, but time was an important fae : tor and such facilities wcro far below the standard required. ■ ' Mr Furkert hoped that the claims of Canterbury College would not ,b p e forgotten .when the .establishment .of .the laboratory was being considered, but the mover objected, and stated that Wellington should be the location of the laboratory. ' The motion was carried.

A difference of opiniou arose as to whether Wellington, or, in view of the Exhibition, Duncdin, should be the scene of next, year's Conference. - Those who objected to Ouuedin stated that many local bodies considered that engineers •came to a confereiiee• fur the purpose of having a good time, instead of to one of the hardest week's work of the year. A division was taken, and Dunedin was decided upon.

Pour Papers Read. '-' The afternoon and evening sessions of the conference were devoted to the reading of papers. Those read in the afternoon were: •. " Otorabama Water Supply," Mr W. A. Gray; "Rainfall at Auckland/' Mr H. H. Watkins; and '' Rainfall in the United States,'' Mr R. W. Holmes. . '

In the evening Messrs Alex. Dinnie, engineer in charge of the woTk, and Mr T. A. Johnßton, who assisted him, lectured on the construction of the Mangahao hydro-electric scheme. Lantern slides depicting different stages of the construction were used to illustrate. •

More papers will be read to-day, and member's will hold a conversazione this evening in the Cadena Tea Rooms. ;

The delegates attending the Annual Conference of the New Zealand Society of Civil Engineers are to be the guests of the Lyttelton Harbour Board tomorrow at a.visit of inspection of the wharves, harbour equipment, and the Board's sheds and stores, and afterwards at luncheon. The delegates leave for Lyttelton by the 8.55 a.m. train.