RAILWAY WORKSHOPS.

Hawera Star, Volume XLVI, 2 July 1926, Page 5

RAILWAY WORKSHOPS.

CONSTRUCTION OF NEW

BUILDINGS.

(BY TELEGRAPH PRESS ASSOCIATION.) WELLINGTON, July 1.

A deputation representative of builders and ironmasters of Dunedin, the New Zealand Employers’ Federation and tho engineering and carpentering trades of the Dominion, waited on the Hon. J. G. Coates to urge that separate tenders, instead of combined tenders, should be called for the supply of steel girders, etc., for the erection of the Addington and Hillside workshops, to enable New Zealand firms to compete. Mr Davidson, constructional engineer, explained the official reasons for adopting the form of contract. The special reason for making one contract arose from the order in which the work must lie carried out. The new shops would have tii be built on the site of the old ones. The new steel waggon shop at Addington was on the site of the present machine shop. There would lie a car and waggon shop at Addington, and the locomotive shop would be at Hillside.

The new foundry at Hillside would be. on the site of the old car and waggon shop. This could not. be removed until the Addington shop was completed. Thus it was necessary to provide for bonuses for prompt work and penalties for delay. A properly balanced contract could only be carried out if it was in the hands of one contractor.

Mr Coates suggested that firms could amalgamate and put in a combined contract.

Mr-Love assured Mr Coates that if lie got the right contractors there would be no difficulties in good planning and staffing.

Messrs Siclcy and Tapley suggested that the matter could be more effectively dealt with if the department’s experts consulted with the builders.

This was aproved by Mr Coates, who said the matter would have to come back to himself personally. The simplest solution seemed to lie tho amalgamation of tho firms.