LANDING BARGES

Press, Volume LXXX, Issue 24151, 10 January 1944, Page 3

LANDING BARGES

FLEET CONSTRUCTED AT DUNEDIN •‘The Press” Special Service DUNEDIN, January 8. It is expected that the contract for the building in Dunedin of landing barges for the use of the Allied forces in the Pacific will be completed by the end of the present month. The contract was let by the Government to the Love Construction Company, Ltd., which was asked to construct a fleet of 60 barges urgently. More than 100 men—49 carpenters. 51 unskilled workers, two boilermakers, four welders, and four caulkers—have been working a full 48-hour week on the undertaking. Nearly 1,000,000 feet of timber has been supplied by the Government, 150 tons of steel have been used, 120 tons of bolts, 20 tons of caulking material, 2800 gallons of tar, and 460 rolls of building paper. The total cost will be approximately £BO,OOO. of which timber will account for £20,000 and labour and materials for £54,000. It is nearly six months since the first barge was delivered from the assembly lines ready for shipment, and in the meantime the company has kept rigidly to its schedule to deliver three barges each week. It was found impossible to secure the quantity of seasoned timber that was required for the work, but the difficulties of drying the newly-cut timber were overcome after consultation with the Forestry Department, upon whose advice salt water treatment of the timber was adopted. The red pine planks were soaked in a concrete tank, which was made available by the Otago Harbour Board, and was filled with salt water. After 14 days the timber was racked in the open to dry before being used. The treatment reduced the natural shrinkage to a minimum and made possible the use of newly-cut timber.