PETONE'S GAS WORKS

New Zealand Times, Volume XLVI, Issue 10545, 23 March 1920, Page 3

PETONE'S GAS WORKS

QUESTION OF CONTROL DUAL MANAGEMENT NOT SATIS- , FACTORY. - . A special meeting of the Petone Borough Council was held last evening to discuss the question of control of the distribution side of the council’s gas undertaking. Those present were:—The Mayor (Mr J. W. Mcßwgn) &nd. jgpuncillors C. P. Brocklebank, W. Coy, J. Churchouse, J. Kyle, W. Hay, A. Anderson, D. Bedinglield, and E. Tovey. The Mayor said that it had been suggested that the gas manager should take over the whole control ol the works’and be responsible for the gas and- its ’ distribution from the works ‘to the burner; At tire present time the control was divided. The gasworks-manager wasuie, sponsible for the making of the gas and tne borough, engineer had the distribution, maintenance, and plumbing department under his jurisdiction. A former gas manager had controlled _ everything in connection with the council’s gas supply, but ft - was not quite satisfactory, the fault being with the officer in control. ... , Councillor Brocklebank said he understood that the service was working well, and in that case it was not necessary to make a change. ~ - Councillor Bedingfleld stated that the gas service- could be improved, and. he believed that the borough’s gas manager was the man who could- make thax immanager (Mr H. A. .Appleyard), in answer to Councillor Anderson, said that he was unable to say what advantage would bo gained if he were given absolute control of the service. Dual control, however, was not satistactory, and Petone was the only place in New Zealand where it existed. Councillor Cox said—that- the whole question was one of..gas,sendee, improvement. That the service was .capable 01 improvement no one doubted. Tn© gas service was one man s job, and the © n J y effective way to improve it was to have the responsibility placed on one person s shoulders. The borough engineer had his time fully taken up with other matters, and presently he would be called upon to bring, down a report on the •water supply, which!" 'would have to be augmented at an early-dater ... . . Councillor Churchouse■ said that in bis opinion an engineer should be in charge of the reticulation and the gas manager was not an engineer. , Councillor Anderson said that as tne present system of gas working was satisfactory under dual control he would oppose an alteration if i't meant a larger eX Councili r or Hay stated that extra work would be placed on the gas manager if he were given sole control, and he was desirous of knowing what addition it was proposed 'to make in. Mr Appleyard s Mayor replied that personally he would be' agreeable , to. a ten per centincrease, which it was probable the rest of the officers of the staff of the council ''on d the e mo'tion of Councillor Cox it’was decided to place the gas . control under the gas manager, and to'raise the salaries of the borough engineer and gas manager by ten per cent.