BRIDGE MATERIAL CONTRACT.

Hawke's Bay Tribune, Volume XII, Issue 239, 21 September 1922, Page 5

BRIDGE MATERIAL CONTRACT.

PREFERENCE GIVEN TO N.Z. FIRM. (Special to “Tribune.”) Wellington, Sept. 20. Mr. McCallum (Wairau) recently asked the Minister of Public Works (1) whether he is aware that tenders, which closed on Ist August, were called for the Wairoa-Waikokopu railway steel plate .girder, deck, and spans, and that Messri Anderson and Co., Ltd., Christchurch, tendered therefore a price of £3,152 f.o.b. Lyttelton, and that £l2O will by payable to bring the material to Wellington, making a total landed at Wellington of £3,272; that the Cleveland Bridge and Engineering Company (New Zealand), Ltd., tendered for the same steel plate, girder, deck and spans at £2,634 c.i.f. Wellington, and hence the price of the Cleveland Bridge and Engineering Company (New Zealand), Ltd. was lower than Messrs Anderson and Co’s price by £638; (2), whether he will state why the higher tender and not the lower tender was accepted by the Government. He added that if it be answered that Messrs Anderson and Co. had to pay Customs duty on the material in New Zealand, the reply should be that if the Cleveland Bridge and Engineering OApany (N.Z.), Ltd., had paid the full duty it would amount to only £442. being a total of £2.076, whereas Messrs Anderson and Co’s tender, with cost of freight from Lyttelton to Wellington added was £2,272, making undue preference to Messrs Anderson and Co. of £196. , The Hon. J. G. Coates replied: (1) Yes; (2), it was considered that the interests of both labour and trade generally in New Zealand justified the extra amount.