THE TRAMWAY BOILERS.

New Zealand Times, Volume XXVII, Issue 5667, 15 August 1905, Page 6

THE TRAMWAY BOILERS.

ORDER GOES OVERSEA. EXPLANATION BY THE MAYOR. It came out quite casually at the City Council meeting yesterday that the order for tho boilers necessary in connection with the tramway extensions had been sent to England, as Air Robertson contended at the Industrial Association meeting would be tho case. ‘ £ l7Bo, Electrical Construction Company; tender for supply of machinery for power-house. n —This on the order 1 paper arrested tho attention of Couni cillor Winder. ( 'What about the boilers?” he asked^

‘Yes,” replied the Town Clerk, ‘There are two boilers.’’ Ho read the cable which was sent Home, asking for a quotation for earliest delivery, c.i.f. of a GOO kilowatt generator set with steam separator, condenser, two boilers, pipes, valves, and all accessories, as previously supplied. The price given was £9400.

Councillor Winder: You have cabled acceptance of it? Tho Town Clerk: Oh, yes. , Councillor Winder: The boilers are accepted, then? Tho Town Clerk: Yes; two boilers. At a later stage, Councillor Ballinger remarked that when the Tramway Committee recommended that tho tender should be accepted there was no allusion to tho boilers in it. and ho, of course, thought—and he took it other members were in tho same position—that it was only the electrical plant. YVhat was the reason the hosiers were ordered from Home ?

Tho Mayor said when tho matter came before him lie asked the Electrical Engineer if any of tho machinery could be constructed in the colony, and he said certainly not within the time by which it was urgently required. It was well known they were carrying on at high pressure at present, and if anything went wrong with any of tho boilers it would be very serious. His attention was particularly drawn to the two boilers, and the cablegram, which was placed before the committee, specifically mentioned tho two. The Electrical Engineer explained that all that could bo done Ln tho colony would bo the riveting together, and the expenditure on wages tor this alone would be between four and six hundred pounds. There was also the risk of very considerable inconvenience, and it was explained that these people wore very much more liokcly to construct the machinery and boilers in timo than anybody else, including any firms in the colony. The Engineer stated, however, that further boilers would be required, and he would take care to report on the matter at an early date to permit of their being constructed, as far as possible, in the colony. Tho Engineer had had to taka over very large works, including the suburban trams, at very short notice, and had been exceedingly busy, and it was through no fault of his that the machinery was not put in hand before it was.