THE TRACTION ENGINE.

Northern Advocate, 23 February 1911, Page 4

THE TRACTION ENGINE.

AS GOOD AS EVER.

At a recent special meeting of tie Borough Council Mr Harrison suggested that the Borough traction engine might be converted into a steam roller "for the reason," as he said, that the haulage power of the engine was apparently nearing its end. Mr Harrison also suggested that the work of converting the machine into a steam roller should be given to a Christchurch firm. Following upon Mr Harrison's statement a representative of the "Advocate" had a talk to one of the principals of the Whangarei Engineering Company as to the worth of the Borough machine, and was told that the traction engine was by no means un--fit for its work, but on the contrary 1-ad hardly been used as a traction engine. It had been used chiefly to give power to drive a stone-crusher and in that work the plant was driven from a fly wheel. The hauling part of the engine was in every way sound and good. If it was not so the speaker said it would be of no use turning it into a steam-roller, because haulage power was as necessary for a steam roller as for traction. Asked if it would be wise to convert the engine into a steam roller, the engineer said he saw no reason to question such a policy. The engine -was in a very good state of repair and sufficient power could be got from the machine to convert it into a heavy roller; in fact, as heavy a roller as any in Auckland. When the reporter repeated Mr Harrison's statement that the work would have to be done in Christchurch, the engineer shook his head. "No," he said, "we could do it and do it well. We are the local a?;ents for Messrs McLaren, who made the engine. We could send for the •M*ts and complete the work here. We could do the work as cheaply as it could be done anywhere else. ' We are quite prepared to compete with outside firms and quite prepared to tender for the job." The reporter suggested that the Engineering Company paid rates in the town and Christchurch firms did not. is so," continued the representative of the Engineering, firm, "we pay rates as a firm and as separate private individuals. We all live here, we have invested capital here, we all trade here, and we naturally think that if we can do the work as well as an outside firm and as cheaply as an outside firm we should get it, but we don't ask for favors."