ELECTRIC POWER -SCHEMES. TO THE EDITOR.

Otago Daily Times, Issue 11923, 22 December 1900, Page 3

ELECTRIC POWER -SCHEMES. TO THE EDITOR.

Sii;,—The Chrislehurch City Council contemplate, introducing electric power into their city. They are going about it in such an oiion, businesslike way that little room will be left, for " jobs." An engineer thoroughly up in electric science has been appointed and will prepare plans and specifications. Tho council will then be protected against excessive cost to an extent utterly impossible where specifications are drawn by a contracting firm. Tho example set by Christchurch is one that might with advantage be followed by our own City Council.

The. Dunedin Council, in view of the largo works about to be inaugurated, propose shortly to appoint nn engineer at £800 per annum for a. term of three years. The announcement must have come as a surprise to some people, and been received with a shrug by others, that the council have actually ordered plans and specifications to be prepared for the electric haulage of the trams and for providing light for the cars. It h now known for a fact that these specifications are being prepared by the representatives of the American firm, the report of whose engineer recently appeared in your columns. Probably the council, when applications for the post of city engineer come to bo considered, will decide that knowledge and experience of electric power and lighting is no longer essential. This will leave, the door open for that nepotism so much to be deprecated and 60 inimical to the interests of the public. Can it bo that this is the explanation of the extraordinary action of the council in bringing on the preparation of specifications before appointing the city engineer?—l am, etc., Citizen.