GAS WORKS MANAGER.

Manawatu Standard, Volume XLIII, Issue 1887, 11 August 1920, Page 2

GAS WORKS MANAGER.

JMSTI VHI LSIiEj) ENGINEER appointed. Tho Borough Conn d last night con firmed the appointment ol Air I 1 rank Ken lu-dy, of New York, to the important; posi lion of engineer and .secretary ol the gat department. Air Kennedy has been eti lor ii period ol live years ul i salary of JJJOOO per annum, He will com nience Ills duties in January next. Born at the gas works residence, Gray ipoudi, tnil Iy-one years ago, '■here bn lather Inis been manager tor ihirlydlnvi years, Air Kennedy received his primary education in that (own. Proceeding l< Australia b remain'd there tour year-, tailing a course-at Riverview College, S.yd ney, and later td Ballarat College, lie r.lsi stndiid chemistry and other subjects at tin School of Alines, Ballarat. Air Kflined.', retail ned to die Dominion in 1907 and ie main, d in the service of the gas department in Palmerston North until 19C9, when In proceeded to England,| and had a wide .on extensive experience -n gas engirt, eting De was selected by West’s Company f< supervise and represent their British syston at a series of international tests held fd Berlin gas works, which occupied severe months. These tests were attended by tin leading gas engineers and chemists of Ger many, Eninec, Italy and Belgium. AJ' Kennedy was tin • sole British representa live. He has also travelled extensively throughout Germany, Norway, Sweden Danmark and Belgium. So pleased wen West’s Company with the sti,<cess at Her lin, that, they sent Mr. IveMnedv-on a tom of inspection to Can^dafjarid the Unitec Stales. Ho, also visiktl Australia and Ncv, Zealand, and while in tile Dominion wat engaged by tile, Wanganui Corporation tc report on (heir works. lie also reported ci tbo Palmerston North’ Borough Council’. l works, and it was on this report that tin

Council decided to iiislal (ho vertical svs 1 tom of continuous carbonisation. For the ,[past four years Mr Kennedy has been chief superintendent for his (company in ' (hr | United States and Canadir. I When the. announcement of the appoint inont was triad? to the Council last night by (1 1 0 Mayor, Cr Oram asked for tin I whole Of the" correspondence that had passed to bo laid on the* table. ( The Mayor agreed to have this done at

(bo next meeting, staling (lint the whole r, tin’ correspondence consisted of a mimbc of cables. I “I would like to' know liow many wen oflicial,” said ( V Oram. As (Vu r..s I cai i see only one ollicial irtimalioi. lias booi ..sent to Mr Kennedy.” I Cr .llodgens asked if if was a fact ilia I ilie international position Mi- Kenned-, t'lield with the West Company had oarrioc an omolnmcnl only £2OO a, year greato l ) than (hat which Palmerston North wai prepared to pay. 1( that was (he ease . eith-'r (he West Company wen:'getting i j very cheap man or Palmerston North wai I gening a very expressive one. I The Mayor slated Chat Mr Kennedy’; salary had Ken increased by his employ ers from £I2OO io £ISOO a year since he liar entered into negotiations with Paine rstot North, In addition lie was supplied will; a house and a motor car. 11 is only rcasn for relimpii.-hing Ins appointment in Now York was in order to return to Ni w Zealand and io ids parents aind friends, v*r Crahb considered that the Council should be congratiihiijfed on having mule siuh a satisfactory appointment. Mr Ken nedy had credentials (hat ranked him amongst the gas engineers' of the world The work in which he would ho engaged would be particularly didicidt, n.s the rar work’s would have to he moved and lie supply kept up at the same time. The task would demand (he nlin'ist million and skill lie moved (hat the appointment lie eon firmed.

('r Spooner seconded the motion, saying that the Council was fortunate in securing the services of so able a man Cr Oi -am. v.-lien (he motion was put and (’■o-ried, staled that hrt opposed it on prin eiplc. |(' was not in favour of appointin'’ a imm without having seen him nr without "pplieiilinns having been e- lied. Moreover he was not sine, ho said, that the appoint rnent was tire rsaev,

fVs Oram and lindens slum) that they wished to have their tlisMuillent voles recorded.