THE ENGINEERING TRADE.

Otago Witness, Issue 3005, 18 October 1911, Page 6

THE ENGINEERING TRADE.

APPEAL TO LOCAL BODIES. WELLINGTON, October 4. An appeal to the Harbour Boards to support the local iron industry was made Jjy a deputation of ironmasters to the conference of the Harbours' Association to-day; Mr D. Robertson was the chief spokesman.'He put the matter quite plainly. As representatives of the iron industry of the Dominion they knew that the harbour boards were highly interested in the welfare of the trade. "You have," said Mr Robertson, addressing the delegates, "a great deal of work which you can give to our industry, but unfortunately we see a lot brought from the Old Country and other places. We think you ought to give us an opportunity to do your work. We come to ask that you will support-our industry locally if you can in everything we can make for you. We;have seen many things coming to Wellington Harbour manufactured abroad by foreign nations. There has been a loud outcry in Auckland too. We want the money kept in our own country. You may think we can't compete and do your work, but give us a chance. If you give us a- chance we have every facility for doing your work. Some of the finest young, engineers anywhere are leaving the country after learning their trade here, because there is no work. We want to appeal to you gentlemen, as members of Harbour Boards to try to get a little more done for you locally. If our In-" dustry is going to develop, and it is part of the proper development of any country, we must have local support from local bodies who are spending public money. The money should be spent locally, and we appeal to you to think twice before pending your orders abroad, and give local industry a chance." (Applause.) The Hon. C. M. Luke said that the depressed state of the trade at the present time«was the only argument they had for coming before the conference. The iron business, had never been so low as it had been for the last four or five years. The local bodies had not encouraged the industry by sending abroad very often for articles without even enquiring whether they could be supplied in the Dominion, or whether the prices were favourable. The ironmasters asked that, all things being equal, they should get support. "It is not a dignified position," said the speaker, "to come before you cap in hand as suppliants, but we feel that the trade is suffering, and we ask that you may give us an opportunity of tendering for your work instead of sending Home. Wherever local bodies can assist local industry they should do so." It was not merely a matter of employers. The employees also were unanimous on . the question. Already there had been a very considerable emigration of some of the best of our enfineers. A considerable sum of money ad been spent in technical education, which had produced some fine engineers. Some of the young men who had been educated in our technical schools and trained in local engineering shops were. holding leading positions in all departmerits in engineering throughout the J world. It was not to the interest of the ' country to educate its young men simply , for them to go abroad because there was no work for them here. I

Mr Samuel Murray submitted that there was nothing that was made in J England that could not be manufactured i in New Zealand. What they wanted here was work, and he hoped they would get ! a chance from local bodies such as harbour boards. The chairman of the conference (Mr R. Fletcher) said that he,was quite certain the deputation had impressed the conference with the necessity of doing something to help, the industry. All things being equal they should give local men a chance. - ■ | The deputation then withdrew amid applattse from the delegates. | Mr William Belcher (Otago) asked if t he was at liberty to move in regard to ' fche representations of the deputation. { The chairman said the matter would fee iealt with at a later »

PLEA FOR LOCAL INDUSTRY

WELLINGTON, October 5. The question of supporting local industry in the particular branch of the iron trade, came before the Harbours Conference this morning as a result of the deputation of ironmasters yesterday. Mr W. Belcher (Otago) moved: — '" That this conference is of opinion that the various harbour boards, as far as possible, should give preference to local manufacturers in acquiring the machinery required for harbour purposes." He said he moved the motion out of sympathy with the gentlemen who waited .on "he conference yesterday. The harbour boards had an amount of work that could be done in the Dominion. Mr Belcher said he alluded to the £22,000 tug being built locally for the Otago Harbour Boards It had been said that the cost of building the vessel was in excess of what it would have been to have imported one from Great Britain. This was perfectly' true. The board had seveiral tenders. • Two tenders came -from Hong Kong. These were very much lower than anj thing from the Old Country. " I told the board," said Mr Belcher, " that any member who attempted to urge the acceptance of these tenders for articles manufactured under Oriental or Asiatic conditions might as well get off the board, as he would nevor be returned again. The question was then fined down to the matter of tenders sub-, mitted by firms in Great Britain. What we discovered was this: That in almost every case the tenderers suggested that if the board was prepared to depart from the specifications they were prepared to do the work for so and so. Every one of the tenderers, with the exception of Thorneycroft's. wanted the specifications varied, and Thorneycrcfi's tender was very much in excess of the tenders submitted by the Ideal companies—M'Gregor and Co., and Stevenson and Cook, of Port Chalmers." Mr Belcher finally submitted that there were any amount of jobs that could be done locally, and they should be done locally. Such things as dredge boilering should be done locally. The local article would only cost about 5 per cent, more than the imported article. Mr Belcher mentioned also the building of gold dredges. Mr W. Wilkinson (Otago) seconded the motion, pointing out that there was more engineering 40 years ago than there was to-day. He recognised that machinery specialties could hardly be made here, but there was plenty of other work the public bodies could give to local firms. The motion was carried unanimously.