WHOSE WORK?

Taranaki Herald, Volume LIV, Issue 13482, 23 July 1907, Page 3

WHOSE WORK?

A BOROUGH COUNCIL DISPUTE. THE ENGINEERS' DUTIES. There was considerable discussion at the Borough Council meeting last evening relative to the duties of the Borough Engineer and the Electrical Engineer. The question arose when the list of outward correspondence was submitted. Councillor Pikett snid ho did not think it was the wish of the Council that the work of completing the foundations at the power house for the reception of the new machinery should^ be taken out of the hands of the Borough Engineer and transferred to the Electrical Engineer as was now suggested by the Electric Light Corcftnittee. He thought the matter should be referred back to the Electric Light Committee. It was not fair to the Borough Engineer to move work which properly belonged to his department to another department. Councillor Bellringer seconded and asked the Engineer if the work at the power house was" complete. The Engineer: It is not. Councillor Bellringer said he should like to know the reason why. Some timo ago it was reported to the Council that further accommodation was required at the power house and the Engineer was therefore authorised to draw up plans and specifications and call for tenders for the buildings so that they would be in readiness for the reception of the new plant when ii arrived. He did not know why the Electric Light Committee should have acted in this matter as they had done, and they ought not to have sjtopped the Engineer from proceeding with work that had been authorised by f the Council. After the discussion that had taken place at * previous meeting of the Council tke Committee would have been studying the interests of the Council — certainly the feelings of the Council — if Mr Kendall had been allowed to complete the work. The concrete floor was as much his work as the side walls. If there was to be dual control difficulties watfd undoubtedly arise, and who would be hold responsible? As to the qualifications of the Electrical Engineer to put in a concrete floor he knew nothing about that, but the Borough Engineer had amply proved his ability by the work already entrusted to him. There had been a great deal of correspondence over these additions at the power house. He* (Councillor Bellringer) maintained the Engineer had not had the assistance that he was entitled to lin carrying out the work. So far the work had been done expeditiously, and now for the Committee to turn round and take the work out of Mr Kendall's hands and place it in charge of th* Electrical Engineer, well, to say the least, ho considered it belittled them in a large degree. He was really surprised at Councillor Browne, who knew ; full well it was absolutely wrong that there should bo two responsible officers having to do a piece of work that had been entrusted to one of them. He hoped tho Council would in fairness to the Borough Engineer insist that he should complete the work he had started. Tho class' of. work under discussion should be delegated to one official and that was tho Borough Engineer. Councillor Coleman said the Committee did not wish in the slightest degree to show any disrespect to Mr Kendall, but after very carefully considering the question from all sides they felt it would be much better for Mr Black to have charge of this section of the work. .• Councillor Browne said the question was referred to the Electric Light Committee with power to apt. The Committee carefully- considered every phase of tho matter before coming to a conclusion. The niembors of the Committoo were all conversant with the ability of Mr Kendall, but in this particular work thero were difficulties regarding the foundations and-i;he work could not be carried out until the plans of the machinery that was to be installed came to hand. In any case it was only a very small amount of concreting that was required. He pointed out that there must be some separation between the duties or the departments of these officials and the Committee were of the opinion it should be as they had decided. Further tho Borough Engineer had never been authorised to do the work. Councillor Bellringer asked the Engineer for his explanation as to why the two accounts were so much at variance. Did the particulars as now stated agree or not with the facts of the contract. Mr. Kendall said he got instructions from the Council to prepare plans and proceed with the additions at the powerhouse, and it was entirely on his own < account that he had left out the floor and foundations for the machinery for the present. He fully expected to put in the floor and foundation. He should like it to be clearly understood, however, that he was not particularly anxious to do the work, and if Mr. Black desired to go on with it he was quite willing that he should do so, and would

render him all the assistance he could. He must refer to one matter, and one which he did not at all like. It was being said that he had wasted concrete in connection with the power-house additions. What he had done was to substantially strengthen the foundations. His action, he had no hesitation in saying, would be supported by practical men. Councillor Mills was opposed to the motion. The committee had been given power to act in the matter, and at their meeting they had information that Mr. Kendall was quite willing to hand over the work. It was a question of single control rather than dual control to which Councillor Bellringer objected. If the Council had not sufficient confidence in the Electric Light Committee as at present constituted, then the Committee should be asked to resign. Councillor Collis said there were points on either side, but on the question of placing concrete work with the Engineer he was in sympathy with the proposer of the motion. The work should not have been taken out of the hands of Mr. Kendall. He should like to have seen him complete the work, and then, if anything went wrong— which was hardly probable — they would have known exactly where to put their finger on the weak spot. What concrete work had been done by Mr. Kendall they all knew had been done thoroughly. He pointed out it was not for the officers to say which one should do the work. Mr. Kendall said he took it he was really in the position of a contractor, whose duty it always was in work of this kind to prepare the bed on which the machinery was to be erected. The Mayor said his views had not changed at all. They all regarded Mr. Black as a competent electrician, but they had no knowledge whatever that he was able to mix and lay concrete. Neither did he (the Mayor) think it had anything to do with the work of. an electrician. Mr. Black said the trouble had arisen through a change in the constitution of the Council while the work was in hsmd. The unfortunate part of the business was that Mr. Kendall had n °t been present at the Electric Light Committee meetings, and therefore had not always known exactly their wishes. He was under the impression that more work had been handed over to his charge than was ever intended. This was rather an awkward job, and he thought it would be far better left in the hands of his department. Part of the machinery would have to go under the floor, and the work in any case would have to be done in stages, and they could do it as they proceeded with the erection of the machinery. In reply to a question, Mr. Black said one of the men at the power-house had had considerable experience in concrete" work. Councillor Pikett said he had moved in this matter on principle. . * f On being put to the meeting the voting was equal, the Mayor and Councillors Bellringer, Coleman, Pikett and Collis being in favour of the motion, and Councillors Boon, Mills, Morey, Cattley, and Browne against. The Mayor then adopted Parliamentary procedure and gave his casting vote for the noes, the motion thus being lost.