TRAMCAR CONSTRUCTION.

Evening Post, Volume LXXI, Issue 141, 15 June 1906, Page 6

TRAMCAR CONSTRUCTION.

ENCOURAGEMENT OF LOCAL - INDUSIRY. A DOZEN CARS TO BE MADE LOCALLY. The City Council is pursuing a policy of encouragement to local industry in connection with the municipal tramways, and in the matter of car construction some important heads of expenditure have juac b^en sanctioned by the Trdiuw^iyji (Jonmnttee, under pu^eis delected to it two weeks ago by the City Council: -Arrangements lor local construction of a dozen tramway cais have now' bfeen cornpletdd. I'our of the cars' will be of the pattern- knuuu cu> '"double-decked bodies.'' These are of anC extreme" length of 561 1, by a height of Viit overdll. 'Ahey Uittcr frum the origmar* double-de'.ktx in that exits for , inside pu»>eD^eri> vie by uue uuois, the seats inside being cross-patterned, instead of running in the same diieotion as the tramline. A special piatioim lh < provided for the uiotomuin on thes-.e ! cars; and .there other platloiius at j each end' to "faciiilkie 'exit and iugresb of top-deck ' psus«<sn d ertf. The inside is divided into five coujpaitnieziis, and the cars are each estimated" to carry 100 passengers. ' The contract for constructing the four cars has been secured by the firm of House, Black, -and Son, of Kent-terrace, at a price .of £2617 Us. The first car is to be ready for delivery in eight weeks' from the day. of /signing the con tract, 'and the others are to follow at respective intervals of six weeks thereafter. •'-,_ - - In addition to the above contract, the Tramways Committee has let one for the construction of four single-deck cars, to Bouse and Hurrell, Ltd., of Courtenay-placc. These cars are of the same pattern, as thb "bogies/ . except that there is no top story. The contract price is £2200. There are also two cars of each pattern in course of construction at the City Council carsheds in Xewtown." It will thus be seen that work involving an expenditure of over £7000 ia to be carried out locally in the next lew months' time, and thai as result a dozen cats will be added to the rolling stock of the line at the period of the year wLen tramway traffic usually reaches its maximum.

On receipt of the news of the attempted assassination of King Alfonso of 1 Spain and Princess Ena of Battcnberg j the Spanish Consul at Melbourne cabled j 03 follows to the King of Spain : — ''Spaniards resident Australia, and New Zealand horrified at terrible outrage, and sure deeply grateful to Almighty God for jrour Majesties' miraculous escape." Mr. A. H. Turnbull, Spanish Consul at Wellington, has been advised that the following leply has been received :—": — " Palace Madrid — Their Majesties thank you and Spanish residents. — Couqt Andino." A Press Association telegram from Corterton states that a. southerly gale is bldwin? in that part of tho district, j Snow is lying on the high country. The Commandant of the Forces has issued an order for an inspection parade of the Wellington Volunteers on Saturday, Ist September. The Auditor and Controller-General (Mr. J. K. Warburton), who hag been on sick leave for some weeks, has benefited ■o much by his rest that he has been able to resume his official duties. It i» .calcalated (says the New Zealand Mines Record) that no less than £1,(AW,000 has been obtained for the gold won by hydraulic sluicing from a comparatively small area of ground in and around the town of Kumara*.