COLUMNS OR PIPES?

Dominion, Volume 5, Issue 1315, 19 December 1911, Page 4

COLUMNS OR PIPES?

IRONMASTERS AND THE CITY COUNCIL. A r].-r.)-.itiou representative of th«l leading ironmasters in tho city waited upon the Finance Committee of the City Council yclerday afternoon for the purpose of vcutilating certain grievances in. tho matter of tendor.i for casl-iron pillars, for the roof of the corporation resc-r----voir at Hell Read, Brooklyn. The discussion wa.s a very-technical .one, but broadly speaking, the situation amounted (a tilts: Tim committee's cugiuccre (Messrs. Morton and Morice), prepared plans and specifications for the pillar* above tnentioned, and invited tenders. When the tenders were opened tho priws all through wore considered too high and it was decided to procure the pillars from Home. Tho city iron-masters who tendered for the contract subsequently came, to Iho conclusion (hat their prices lveiv in accord with tho nature of the specification, but that these specifications were needlessly elaborate, More reasonable .specificutw!\>, they held, Mould have evoked more reasonable price*, and they therefore decided to ask the council to ernsidor Iho question of re-drafting tlw specifications and encouraging lucul industry before going out of .New Zealand for the required material. -Mr. David Robertson raid that it would lw a disgraceful thing if the council woie to carry out its intention of patting over local industry when tho required work could be done, and had lici'ii done in >ew Zealand. Tenders had been invHod tor columns, and, alternatively, waterpipes (the latter (o be considered this evening), which would serve tho purpose of supporting pillar?. But the specifications lor the columns were altcgcther too stringent, and the conditions sc-t out for the delivery were quite umwce«*arv involvinff expense which could easily be' avoided by employing the corporation workmen. His own firm )md supplied, the columns for the June's Chambers at n reasonable cost, columns which were required to support much greater weight than thoso intended for tho reservoir root, which was not intended to cony superincumbent weight. Messrs. Cable. Murphy, nnd Crabtre* spoke in support. , Tho Mayer said thai. Iho dominant idea in the mind of tho council was to give local industry every pontile ehamv of competing for the work. The council of cmirse, had perforce to be guided by its expert officers in such a technical work, llic tenders fer ihe columns had varied extraordinarily; tho lowost tender did not come- from Wellington, whore there was u wonderful unanimity in the prices. He asked Mr. Robertson what lie thought ofHio use of pipes us pillars. "Speaking as a ratepayer," said Mr, Jjobertson, "I don't want to s-ee anr bi>tche(l-up job." Give them a reasonable «st of specifications for the columns, he. added, and they would tender ngain. The Mayor promifrd that every consideralion would bo given to Hio'reprN mentations of the deputation when alternative lenders for tho pipes were opened the ivllov-jng evouili".