BIG CONTRACTS.

Press, Volume LXIII, Issue 18893, 7 January 1927, Page 8

BIG CONTRACTS.

| TENDERS ACCEPTED. j NEW RAILWAY WORKSHOPS. (THE FKESS SpecUl Senrlee J WELLINGTON, Januarv 6. i j The tender of Messrs McLean and Gr3y, of Wellington, has been accepted for the foundation work at the new Pet one Railway workshops, and that of Messrs J. T. Julian and Sons, of Auckland, for the work at Otahuhu. The contract prices were in the vicinity of £9OOO and £7500 respectively. "The tenders for the foundations at Addington and Hillside in the South Island do not close until Monday.

The big scheme of workshop reorganisation embarked upon by the Government makes provision for the expenditure of approximately £1,500,000, spread over a period of three years. £. sum of £300,000 was allotted for the year ended March 31st last, £600,000 is set aside for the period closing on March 31st next, and a similar amount is to be earmarked for the third term. The first contract let was for the construction, at an approximate cost of £200,000, of the new locomotive repair shops in the industrial area at Petone, the successful tenderer being Sir William Arrol and Co., of England. Then followed the acceptance of the tender of Messrs Hansford and Mills, in conjunction with Messrs Dorrnan Long and Co., of Middlesborough, for the new passenger car and waggon shops at Otahuhu. the contract price in that instance approximating £150,000. Towards the end of November, Cabinet approved the tender of Mr W. McLelland, of JDunedin, for the construction of the two remaining shops, Addington and Hillside. The contract price was in the neighbourhood of £200,000 and Sir Wm. Arrol and Co., were named as the suppliers of the steel work.

At an early date tenders will be called for the second year's quota of machinery for which delivery will not be required until the new shops are erected at the beginning of 1928. Later on contracts will also require to be let for the supply of asphalt floors, electric lighting lines, etc. In the matter of equipment one economy has been effected through the co-operation of the Railway and Public Works Departments. Four 750 cubic feet per minute air compressors which were used during the Otira Tunnel construction are being taken over by the Railway Department to supplv compressed air for the workshops, thus a-voiding the purchase of new machinery. Good progress has been made with the preliminary work undertaken at the various sites.