RETURN OF ENGINEERS.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXVII, Issue 20743, 10 December 1930, Page 14

RETURN OF ENGINEERS.

SERVICE IN AUSTRALIA. Two young Auckland engineers, Messrs. A. J. Dickson and L. E. R. Wakeman. boll) of whom wero formerly in the city engineering department, and wlio latterly have been employed by (lie Main Roads Boards of New South Wales and Western Australia respectively, returned by (he Uiimaroa from Sydney yesterday. Mr. Dickson, who went to Australia with a university travelling scholarship, was engaged, in addition to his duties as assistant engineer with tho 'Main Roads Board of New South Wales, on tho Public Works staff associated with tho building of the Sydney Harbour bridge. He is now taking up a position as designing engineer to tho Auckland City Council.

Mr. Wakeman went to Australia last April as an assistant engineer to tho Main Roads Board of Western Australia, and has been retrenched in accordance with a scheme of drastic economies. Ho stated yesterday that so impoverished wero somo of the local authorities of Western Australia that instead of a revenue of £1,250,000, which the Main Roads Board of that State received last year, tho board was receiving this year a rovenuo of only £484,000, made up of £IOO,OOO contributed by the local bodies and £384,000 in tlio way of' Federal aid grants, of which about £309,000 had already been spent in anticipation of a much larger revenue. As a result, stringent economies were being practised. Eight district offices had been closed and 12 assistant engineers had been retrenched. Somo of these men had already gone back to England and America.