LOCAL INDUSTRY'S CLAIMS.

Evening Post, Volume LXX, Issue 34, 9 August 1905, Page 6

LOCAL INDUSTRY'S CLAIMS.

* TO BE MET AS REGARDS TRAM- . OARS. BUT BOILERS GO OVERSEA. Apparently the orequesf made to the City 'Council -by a 'joint deputation of (tie Wellington Industrial Association and the Wellington Trades and Labour Council — tnat as much .as possible of the car-bodies and the tramway supplies {be manufactured within the, colony — is going to he something like .realised. After .the President of the association <Mr.,J. P. Luke) had reported the interiview to a meeting of the association's executive last evening, Mr. T&os. Ballinger, who is a member of the City Council, as -well as of the executive, was understood to say that the Council's Tramways Committee bad come to a decision in the matter before the deputation called, and that if the committee's report 3b adopted by the Council, it will meet .the -wishes of' the association. So far so good. But apparently it is not with boilers as with, tramway supplies. Mr. Ballinger went on to say; that when the tramway extensions machinery was ordered from London by cablegram the other day, he had under6tood thk was only electrical machinery, and did not include boilere lor the extensions. From the amount of the money {£9000) in relation to the estimate, he* did hot think the order included boilere ; and he was surprised to hear a statement the other night that it did. He' ■would put a question at the meeting of the Council as to whether boilers were included. If it were so, it came as. a surprise to him. THE LOST BOILERS. •Mr- D. Robertson had no doubt the "boilers were included in the cabled order. It was time they set their face against sending this work out of the conntry. The trouble with the boilere was that the local manufacturers must •be allowed sufficient tim© within which to import the raw material. - In answer to a question, the President explained how the original order for boilers in connection with the tramways was 6ent out of- the colony. At that time he was a City Councillor, but always withdrew from any discussion in which his Snn'e tender was concerned; and during the whole time *he was a Councillor, he did not think his firm got more than a few pounds from the Council. When the tenders for the original; boilers were called, six months was allowed for construction, and as the raw material had to be imported, and aa any • accident to it in transit would have put tiie work outside .the time- limit, his firm had to put in a conditional tender. ?hen, if that tender had been accepted, jnd any delay had occurred, and the boilers were not ready in time for thg people who contracted to put them in "" the p ower-houso, those people could have come on the Council ; and the delay with tiie boilers would have hung up work involving £250,000. In these circumstances, the City Council was justified in not taking the risk, and in letting '• only] two contracts in connection with ihe tramways installation — one for all the work inside the power-house, and - one for all the work outside it. j POWER-HOUSE' PROBLEMS. i ,iMr{ Robertson contended that there was atill time for local manufacturers to" build the -boilers required in connection with the tramway extensions. The "Council had power enough in the meantime. The President said there 'would have been time enough if the Council -had not contracted to supply electric power for - private lifts. Mr. Thos. Ballinger, City Councillor, stated, in answer to Mr. Robertson, that the Council hid ao more power than rwas needed to run -Sic preoent cars. Mr. Robertson : There are 'two boilers standing idle in the powor-housa. Mr. Ballinger: I am not talking of boilers. Mr. Robertson: Engines, too. *" 'Mr. Ballinger stated that, in the morning it was the practice to work one small generator and one big one; in the afternoon, two big ones. To work all four 'the whole day would be to wear the plant out, though on special occasions, like football days, they put on the lot. >The dimning of the lights at the -Newtown end during ths hour of largest traffic showed, that the' Council had not too much power. The Council's experts said the extensions could not be taken over Mil the plant was got. That • wan why tho cable was t.ent, but hewould bo surprised to find it included toilers. Mt. Robertson : Wo have bsen jockeyed the same way as before. . . . Not a bit "of tho tunnel is started, and here we are cabling the order. A member : They are at work at tho tunnel now. Mr. Robertson: 'x'wo days ago. Another member: And Brooklyn has been begun a long time. The red glow of Mr. Robertson's anger gradually died away.

Me«rs. Harcourt and Co. advertise that they will sell by public auction on Tuesday, 22nd inst., two houses of four and cix rooms respectively, Oxford-road, off Tasman-streot. Full particulars can bo obtained from tho auctioneers. Messrs. Haroourt and Co. draw attention to their auction sale advertised for tho 22nd iniit., at 2.30 p.m., at their rooms, when they will iubm.it two building allotments in Karorj, one situate on tho main road opposite .to .the Karori Borough Council office, tho ■ v 9thei;,in.-Friend-«trj»i,