Levin's Gasworks Promotes Warm Discussion

Chronicle (Levin), 21 June 1949, Page 4

Levin's Gasworks Promotes Warm Discussion

The ratepayers' money was going ' mto obsolete machinery, The gasworks were hopelessly outdated and che council jWas just , "muddhng along" witlr the problem. These were accusations made by Cr, A. W, Parton when the subject of the iuevin .gasworks cropped up at a meeting of the Levin Borough Council last night, It alL:Started when Cr. A. J. H4i;en" brought to the council's atvention that the gasworks manager was being ovetloaded with work, much of which was work which he should not he .called up'on to do, and that he received no overtime :ates on work fqr which others of iis staff received o.vertime. At 11 p.m. on a recent night the manager, after a very busy day, had to c.ean out the retorts so that Levin could get gas the next day. Breakdowns were frequently' occurring at times when employees were not avaiiab e and the staff in any case was •inadequate, said Cr. Allen. Obsolete Retorts, Supporting Cr. Allen, Cr. Parton said that the manager was doxng a very good job for the counch and should not be called on tp do work without • overtime rates. "l was. appointed to -the gas committee of this council on May1 3 and I have not been called to a committte meeting or anything else oonnected with the gasworks since chen. "W.e have the only gasworks in the Dominion which is still fired with horizontal retorts," he said when eriticisihg the plant. Horizonta ■retorts, he said, had beeh denounced by him when he had, previously been: on the council' anc he had then recommended theii replacement with vertical retorts. "I was distressed to hear of the huge expenditure in instailing new hqrizontal retorts. The ratepayers' money is goine into obsolete machinery. Other companies are using the piew methods and vertical retorts. We are just muddling along." It was time also. he said. that ari assistant was found for the gasworks manager. He was a verj worthy servant of the council anddeserving of better conditions •As chairman of the gasworks committee he had made frequeht inspections of the gasworks and realised' that the manager could do with an assistant, said Cr. D. J. Sweetzer. He would be the first to recommend that one he appointed if Cr, Parton could fine one.

Skilled men were hard to get. He also agree d that some payment ahoffd be made for overtime work, but' it had to be realised that. like many businesses today, managers did not get overtime and, the wage sheets of juniors were.often nearly up to that of senior men. .The manager's case was not unusual. Full Inquiry. If the council wanted a full inquiry untb-' the gasworks he would welcome it, continued Cr. Sweetzer. "We know that the vertical retorts are better, but if you start you wih have to rehuild the whole works; they are so obsolete. ,1 agree that it is long past time that something was done, but what are we to do?" Cr. C. H. Ne1son said he agreed that the works were out of date a'nd instead ■ of refitting an extra bed of horizontal retorts their replacement with vertical ones woffd have helped. The council was losing 2000 feet of gas a night be- , cause more was being made than the hold-ers could contain. Cr. J. Miller said that as he saw the position there were two questions before the council. One m regard to the manager's remunerS,tion and the other in regard to the gas works itself. The council could discuss the former, but he could not see how it could discuss the latter without the manager present to give his opinion. He considered the council was not competent to discuss the technical side withou:the manager's presence. Cr. R. S. Antcliff said he knew that the manager was even dolng meter reading as well as his other duties, and it would be well for the council to try and seeure more staff and also look into the manager's remuneration. It appeared that "a whole inquiry into the affairs -of the gasworks was necessary and he would suggest that the whole matter he referred to the gas committee, said the deputy-Mayor, Mr. R. A. Frederikson. A motion to this effect was subsequently passed.