MEDAL PRESENTED

Evening Post, Volume CXXII, Issue 32, 6 August 1936, Page 14

MEDAL PRESENTED

MR. J.* H.. HARTNETT

CABLE MAKERS' AWARD

In recognition of his achievement in gaining highest marks in the practical examination for. electrical wiremen, held in March. last, a gold medal donated by the Cable Makers' Associa-; tion of Great Britain was presented to Mr. John Henry Hartnett, of Wellington, at a function held in the Dominion Farmers' Institute yesterday afternoon. The presentation was made by Mr. G. H. Mackley, General Manager of the New Zealand Railways.-

"Itis particularly gratifying to see a! Railway .Department employee obtain' one of the C.M.A. gold medal awards," said the chairman, Mr.~S.-G. Anderson, representing • the Cable Makers' Association, Great Britain. "The diversity of wiring work which these men are called upon to perform is as great or greater than that in any other branch of -the . industry. The .public, in the same way .that they forget perhaps the work necessary to enable them' to obtain light, * heat, or' power at the turn of a switch, also do not-realise the hundreds.of miles of cable and;wiring necessary, : to link ■up the electrical apparatus -in a project like, the new Wellington, Railway Station, ..with . all its" modern conveniences, signalling arrangements, shunting yards, etc> The locking and'interlocking of points with signals is all carried out electrically and involves a vast amount of. wiring and-intricate design. :

"The medal which Mr. Hartnett is to receive is one of eight which so far have been presented, in New Zealand. These medals, which have become known, as the C.M.A. ; gold medal awards, are known from Whiangarei to Invercargill, and have been won in both' those places, but . this is the first occasion on' which one has been secured by a Wellington student. Christchurch- has gained four, and I wondered if the Capital City was ever going to produce a successful student!" Mr. Mackle'y congratulated Mr. Hartnett on'his achievement, and said that the members of the Railway Depart: ment, as a whole were proud to know that one of their nunSber had won out in. open competition. Mr. Hartnett was the second member of the Railway Departmeht'to secure the trophy, another

member of the Department having won a medal in 1935. He was glad that the trophy'had at last come to "Wellington, and he.hoped that Wellington would continue to win the medals at least until it had equalled Christchurch's record. There had been big-changes in the railway system in the vicinity pf Wellington of late, and the changeover from the old platforms-at ••Lambton to the new station had involved what might be called a "hefty achievement" from the electrician's point of view. However, it had been accomplish? Ed most efficiently and quickly. The railways in New Zealand had embodied in 'them 'a far greater amount of electrical equipment than many people realised. The interlocking system was particularly involved^ and for. . NewZealand was of sizeable . dimensions. The communication and train-control systems and other electrical phases were all, big undertakings, and the public as a whole had very little.idea of > the magnitude' of the work. Mr. Mackley referred to undertakings a,t present being tackled in the Wellington district, stressing the: part- played by" electrical artisans! He then' presented the medal' to Mr. Hartnett, expressing his best wishes for his success in the future. The recipient \vl:s accorded musical honours. ' .