WHAT PRICE THE TURBINE?

NZ Truth, Issue 106, 29 June 1907, Page 5

WHAT PRICE THE TURBINE ?

V . ■» kiH ELECTRICAL SYNDICATE SCANDAL.

A Nice Bill far Ratepayers to Foot.

An Expert and His Screw.

Among electrical engineers of this .city, Ihe most discussed subject of late has been that concerning the erection of the steam. turbine at the Electrical Syndicate power-house, under the direction of the expert, Neman I- Price, A.I.E.E. Now evkrybMy knows that the time is liiglr when the Wellington City Cor- § ration is to assume the control ot i Syndicate's rights. Owing to the ject apathy of ratepayers this beautiful, or the last beautiful City Council were empowered to . barter A way .over £100,000 for the rights .and plant of this said Syndicate. At 'the last Mayoral election some seri- ;' ous allegations were made m cqn- ' nection with this Electrical Syndicate deai, and though Mayor Hislop's opponent was defeated the fact nevertheless remains that a lurid lipht* was thrown on the transaction, and, as ' the ratepayers have put their hand to \ the ploueh, they cannot now tjur^i I bafijfe and thri Electrical Syndicate's rplant must be taken over. Shortly, j the Corporation, will take over con-, j trol of the show, and all that ;,can ' be hoped is that it will -..','' J PROVE A PROFITABLE INVEST- ' MENT, i ;: ( ,\nd that Mayor Hislop's prognostvrations of success will be well founded. By electing Mayor Hislop to his present term of office it can no doubt be considered' that 'the; rate--1 payers have ratified that deal. Already the lighting rates have been reduced, and that is a consideration, 1 but there is another consideration to be taken into account, and that is this. It is no open secret that wfcftn > Wellington's City Council does iajkej charge there is to be an afll-roupd' rise m "screws" at the power-houie:, and, naturally enough, the sjdventj of the Council is anxiously awaited. ;As "Truth" started off to say, Ithe erection of the turbinei. and the /expert Price, has. for months past, bjeen a singular and almost sole subject of talk m electrical circles. ' And- there seems to be a lot of growd for J this talk, because Price, .though calleja an expert, is no more expert m s/team or matters ; than any (other electrician, or engineer- m Wellliiffiton. Perhaps his appointment as expert has engendered animosity against Price, nevertheless there are niany in' this sinful city who l*ok" knofwingly and blink cunningly jal decline to say yea when asked point .'blanks if price knows Ms business.,; lindeeqL all ■I hey prefer to say is, "|?3fe<i . jJl'icfe the turbine ?'■' and it fcfW>s;;to, "Truth" that .it is of great, interest' to know "what price th£ /turbine ?" Now our City Council i/s ; no,t a wealthy plutocratic condemn. It is thriving -on loan mora>y, and a beautiful legacy it is £pipg to leave to posterity ; but thujb,/ of course, does not count. We, live for the present, and have little fthoupht for the future. -Affiwrn it is: slaid -thdt the expert Price is being pap 4by OUR BOUNTEOUS ClfrifCOßPO- • RATION/ - it the rate of £45 iperjfmonth, which with expenses goei? 4 Jp to between £60 or £70, the ratepayer surely is entitled to know what Prfice |does for it. It is granted that/ a turbine is badly needed at the pfc^errhouse ; it was needed, of c&uise.; before the ratepayers of Welliagt/on were bamboozled into partiijtfT. /walfo ; £160,000, and Ihe fact that ttfe / Eflecirical Syndicate managed to £e/t on without one might or migJJt ticjt justify the suspicion that nof oitly were the ratepayers diddle^ in* t/he first instance, but Uni iti&J Council itself has been had! but aJs.the Council thrives on loan morteyi it don't matter anyhow: In these I days of criminal indifference on (the part of ratepayers anything is / possibld, and rightly or wrongly "JTruth". hazards the opinion that £he lappointment of Norman I. Price asifexpert is one of the possibilities &jfsited at. What qualifications Price possesses to pose as - an expert m fjuch a ina'tter as directing the emotion of jyJ turbine at £45 a monlih expends "Truth'" does not know, nor 'does 1 anyone else, for that /matter. Tb» cifection of tfcis turbine has already Itaken eight months, and it is far frl>m 'Cornipletpd yet. Nobody seams tol know -what is going to happen; next, I and i if Price knows when jt is tp be .ctornpleted) he keeps it a close-piiardcd I secret. If he has any plans, he keepfe them very dark, because he allows Ino one to sec them, and "v?fya.t is u still more \rorsc, the said je jpertH a/t £45 a month with expensjN i -Uitlwh m has attempted, but with -litift Success, as far a« is known, to; sue« the brains of others aroutvd him m fthe enginerooni- Indeed, having a lßttle insight into the knowledge, of Bow things hsj.ve l«en conducted- at tae Electrical Sy^nica fee's establishmenTl "Trutli 1 ' has very little hesitation ip 'declaring Price's appointment as an j expert, as a gross and J WANTON PUBLIC SC, i,NDAL. And what is still more, this . paper does not thinki itself far o ut wh«a it declares that influence, roi I'd old influence, probably grip inn. icnce, has helped to pitch-forjc Price unto such a lucrative job, a job hel >is making ihe most of, and •> of wbaci no pos^ sible doubt will, exist, hie.' will lose little time m compkitlnff after "Truth's" brief observations. "Ex- 1 • pert" Price is a friendij m fact a' boon companion, of Mr. Fra acis Welsh, and 1 Mr Francis W^Jsh k manner for the New Zealand bratv >M of the American General Electrioa ! Company which has its offices at Flarcourt's Buildings, Lftmht(% Duay, land it is this same American. Gene al Electrical company' that -supplie turbines. sßeiniz; a frif-nd, a pdrticul&r pal of Mr Welsh's, for did noil the pair work together at Sdheneet &;dy, New York, and mbrn easy for 'the New Zealand manage^ to recom- '< mend an expert m the person of ■ Price, therefore, whkt " [lrice" the turbine: ' Price is no Jmechunioal genius, and it is #rett}t safe to assume that hp has neVer b'fore n his life erectec^, turhfhc, and tiib>nes, all Dhe jfeicld o.v^r, lisve a very awkwardKjiack of going 1 tung 1 , whea least

expected. Before Price came to. New Zealand, as an expert, if you please, he was some sort of aa engineer m the Melbourne power and lighting department of the Australian General i Electric- Company, and was . getting something) like a fiver a week. There | he had no experience m turbines, arid it would ( further be interesting to learn where he gained his experience* j So valuable a servant was the '''ex- | pert" m Melbourne that we find that when the financial, shoe pinched, when retrenchment was necessary, that' the expert), a third or fourth-rate engineer as he was, or is said to be, was promptly . BIFFED OUT INTO THE COLD; How he came to New Zealand "Truth" neither knows nor cares, at anyrate ihe is here, no doubt on Mr Welsh's recommendation, bleeding the ratepayers at £45: per month and expenses, and it would be interesting; to know .when., the erection of this turbine is' to be completed. He has been on the job. for nearly eight months, and the possibility is thatj unless attention is drawn to this scandal, he will keep going (-n it for another eight months, and who would not at the rate of £45 per month j aft'il' expenses. The whole business is j a fishy one. We are now m tlie depth of winter, and the turbine should have been completed months ago. tohen the total cost of everything connected with this turbine is totted up - the figures will be something terrific, though, as the ratepayers will pay for it with loan money, it does ! not, of course,, muoh matter. What the City Council authorities are doing, or have done, to stir Price up "Truth" -does not know.' Probably those over Price knpw as much about turbines as Price does, and it seems as/ if he knew nothing, or else that , HE KNOWS TOO MUCH. It. seems scandalous that an "expert" lias to be sought for out of New Zealand when one or a dozen could have been. procured, m Wellington. From the beginning everything connected with this Electrical Syndicate deal has savored of suspicion. Price might be an engineer and know a lot. One thing he seems to know quite well, and that is how to pose as an expert at £45 per month with expenses. It is no wonder that the engineers of the city are talking loudly. No doubt they envy Price, and . who wotild not. "Truth" at anyrate is not disposed to treat this matter as a joke. The ratepayers seem to be easily led m Wellington, and those who do the leading are having a particularly glorious time of it. Anyhow, all that can he said of Price is ftsre published, and it is pretty safe to assume that m the. immediate fuibure that turbine will be finished. What Price will do then "Truth" doesn't know. Perhaps he is 'after a lucrative job: Whether he will get it or not is another < matter.. \