POWER SHOVEL FOR COUNTY

Pahiatua Herald, Volume XLVII, Issue 14039, 15 December 1938, Page 4

POWER SHOVEL FOR COUNTY

SUGGESTED PLANT IMPROVEMENT BY THE COUNTY OVERSEER. At Wednesday’s County Council meeting the Overseer Mr S. Macrae, brought forward a sc heme for doing away with the handling of shingle and earth by hand. He proposed the purchase of a combined tractor and jxnver shovel, which would be able to do all the work of the present tractor as well as shovelling. The makers had offered to allow a minimum of £'6-50 on the present tractor, without ail inspection, and he was of the opinion that this might be increased to £7OO after the tractor had been inspected. The cost :>f the new machine would be £1620, and as the machine could not be ready for delivery foi some six to eight weeks, this expenditure would come in he next financial year. The machine was Vr. his opinion a definite necessity. He had seen two of them in operation, and they had many advantages over the heavy mechanical shovel. Mr Sladden commented that it would be able to remove slips as a one-man job. The Chairman remarked that it would be able to do all the work of the present trastor and also do away witli the necessity for pitmen. It would have a large variety of uses, and be a wonderful investment. Mr Macrae said that the manufacturers had expressed their willingness to take any of the councillors to inspect the machine in operation. The whole of the Council was appointed a committee to inspect the machine in operation, a suitable date to be arranged by Mr Macrae.