INQUIRIES BY ENGINEER

Press, Volume XCVII, Issue 28532, 11 March 1958, Page 7

INQUIRIES BY ENGINEER

Criticism By Councillor

He was confident that the industrial consultants would save the council £50.000, said Cr. A. R. Guthrey. chairman of the works committee, at a meeting of the City Council last evening. Several councillors had ' questioned the value of the consultants’ report on the council’s Halswell quarry. A report by the committee said that the consultants’ report on further development of the quarry had been circulated to councillors, and two of the consultants’ recommendations were recommended for adoption. The report was not released for publication. “J wonder whether for the money we are paying them they are taking a broad enough view of the job, and the quarry in particular,” said Cr. M. A. Connelly, M.P.

There was nothing in the report that the City Engineer did not know already, said Cr. H. E. Denton. Any engineer could have brought down the same report at the cost of his salary to the council.

“I was disappointed in the report,” he continued. “Nothing was wrong, they tell us. We are doing the job A.l and always have been doing so. Fancy reading a report that truck number so and so is in poor condition. We have a mechanic at the M.E.D. who could tell us that.

“If we are going to pay good money to industrial consultants to bring down a report which our own staff could bring down as well or better, them I am afraid we are going to be £23,000 down the drain. And when the report is completed those people on the other side of the table will be down the drain with it.” £lBO a Week

Cr. G. Manning said the council was paying the industrial consultants £lBO a week. If they could not report anything which had not already been indicated by the council’s own engineering staff they should not be employed. The City Engineer had been short of staff, and had not the time nor the opportunity to bring down such a report, sair Cr. Guthrey. There was no-one else on the council with sufficient qualifications to make the report. The report on the quarry was the first part of a report on the whole works department. “We are hoping to have a more up-to-date works department and trying to attract men who will remain with us,” he said “If we can increase efficiency and reduce costs, we hope that those responsible—the engineers, foremen and workmen will benefit financially. “We are not asking the consultants to do the work,” he said. “They are here to advise us, and the City Engineer and senior executive staff have been most helpful, and everything has been done with their full knowledge.” Cr. N. R. Forbes asked later why the council should not employ an engineer at £4O a week allowing the City Engineer to do the work and saving the council money. The City Engineer was an important executive officer who sat in on many' committee meetings, Cr. Guthrey said, and it would not be practicable for him to be engaged on other duties.