SOCIETY OF CIVIL ENGINEERS

Dominion, Volume 9, Issue 2768, 11 May 1916, Page 7

SOCIETY OF CIVIL ENGINEERS

ANNUAL MEETING Ey Mee'ranli.—l'reES- Association. Christchurch, May 10. The annual meeting of the New Zealand Society of Civil i'lngincers was opened to-duy la the School of Engineering, Canterbury College.. Mr. E. W. Hotaie», tho president, was in the chair, and there was nil attendance' of 50 members. Mr. W. Ferguson, the hoh. secretary, read tho annual report of the council, which, stated that on March 31 there' were 130 members, 37 associates; and live students, a total of 172. '.

Th« - statement of accounts' was adopted after a short' discussion', in the' course of which Mr. I'. E. 'Burt (Wellington) suggested following the practice ot the Institute of Engineers of admitting to membership teachers of engineering. The president said that the council had decided to submit to a special' general meeting a rule on the subject. The-president read a letter from Mr. H. F. Toogood, which stated, that' tho Lake Taka'puna Board- control- had. requisitioned the Government for the services of its engineer to report on tie water system. The writer expressed the opinion.- that the society should protest against local bodies springing on the Government engineers' services. The president said the experience of permanent officers of .the Government ser-. vice was that they had quite eufficient to carry on their ordinary duties without going as engineers of local bodies in addition. The local bodies were able to pay for engineering service's. 'Mr.'J. A. Menzies (Clyde) said the county councils of Otago employed an engineer at .£IBO, and got the Government to supply plans, which, if the county councils, employed fully-qualified men would mean the employment of engineers at A'3oo or .£4OO.

Mr. S. Jickell (Palmorston North) mov. Ed to the effect that tho council take the matter'into consideration, and considered, it necessary for the protection of the in-, terests of engineers in practice.'' Mr, Menzies seconded -tne motion.

The-president said the point raised by.Ml'. Menzies would have-been dealt with" completely if the Government had been, Induced to pass.a Bill last year requiring local authorities, to employ properly paljfled engineers' when public money was being spent on any works.' The motion iwas agreed to. . . ' It was decided to hold the next annual meeting ,at Wellington. Ou the motion of the president it was" decided to forward, letters of condolence to relatives of the following members killed in action:—A. G. Webber,--.- G. S. Boyle," undriH, Newton, also-. to Mr. James ■ Bmffiett, - M.LCJ3.,■ ' whose third, son was -killed . in ;■ notion. ■'•■•-. Mr. R. (Patea) brought up the question of the objection taken by. toe Government Auditor at the action of the Patea Harbour Board pf' advancing 60 per cent,, to the plant contractor for' the. harbour works. Ho' thought' the meeting could not come to a definite conclusion' on the subject without the specifications'and conditions of contract, lhe president said Mr. Thompson had brought up the matter for the information of members, and not with a view-of- ac tion being :taken. r Mr. Cyrus P.'-Williams, engineer to tho Lyttelton Harbour Board, read a paper' on the. development of the' Lyttelton' Harbour Board, illustrated by plans. Mr, Williams gave .a historical -review- of the' : ■pork in the iharbour. Keferring'to dredging, Mr..Williams, said that suction ■dredging.-had_ solved the problem for t/ytte ton, but ho did not' assume : that ijytteltons experience- proved'-iri all cases diedging by Imcket -'dredge. He »avo comparative figures relating, to eosF of dredging Lyttelton Harbour by the two' dTe&.flf ft* of "he bucket; i. ffilJl Mttl «sliester; including- carry f- «? SP °^' hn milcs > *<* a°ld:' per. io«, the suction dredge Canterbury, with' Ihlm^Zr^'/ 101^^' ■he members lor his re-election: • He'said' > TO had had a .marked effect-oS : e gineers. Tbe. enormous cost of tho war hud mouppoiised capital wmch unSov' otfter . ,wuid have been'' aevpted to public works. v'SiZh 'r , e)^cts °? the ar in ■titlt! d^ stce ' .e'uettjvbecause' of the bliortage ot capital ami •uwterwl'- En jo mo call ot Empire, . ana eteus wi &&1 B IJ^'e * * hw S t ?h IOMOS - A s i )C " al wand, i, ung. Loips, omcercu entirely bv civil oil . u command and a m.dical o&ceiV badifono to Wlo lfoat . Herefemd'vo tho .^ue=r f who had fallen/and cxKIS ? ' is 'instead oi being S for tiio J. StJ' W f te wasVjWKta' to' tho' uetesiity o£ legislation lor. urovidin" that only -quanta, .engmeers bo ei ployed m con.eccion H -ith works undertaken %£ hi. bodies. He uuuineu ik . schemu of •niperanmm&u for employees., rot ■ m:_ii. ti, Bliarp reau a paper entitled t,wn S -nf n 1 i tU A bfea tronting.the oun ot itokitika, and the -remedial' SEW lu be ""opted." After detail, utno damage uon u to property at HukiH--,' f. 1 :-,^ I '!' quoted anthorities on u«.-!iui>ject oi erosion, one uuthoritv--Uitiiig. ihut beach'erosion-was'due to in. c-cmality oi supply 0 f littoral driit. 'I'n 6 ' >y oi'fc or erecting protectivo' groynes dia. S ( T l ■'■■ lhai aC some previous puwi the beaen was at a lower level, iwo old-iashioned triangular groynes wero uncovered, and it was lennied from old lesidente. that 40 years ago a similar ero-' mou .was experienced,-and subsequently the .beach.accreted, and property owners were uuubld to resist the temptation to extend their holdings. Wheirtho Public Works Department took up the work of erecting groynes, Die sea only encroached on 'an actual section of land in one place. In the course, of his address 'to tho members of the New' Zealand Society of j-' 1 " 1 E«SJ uecrs to-night the president {? i. Holmes, cliief engineer of the Public Works Department) made some interesting observations on steel bridges. Ho said it was generally accepted by the public that the United States lead tlio world in the progress'of the arts and sciences. Many believe that American design of machinery and structure was beyond cavil, and tnat was true in some cases. In this country - examples of American steel bridges cannot by any stretch of imagination be considered examples of good design. Important points were sacrificed in an endeavour to produce' a cheap artcile, and under-cut our own manufacturers of steel truss bridges. In an important main road, carrying heavy traffic, the horizontal bracing top oliord was entirely omitted. The spans were about 100 feet each; the top chords about 80 feet, long, in compression virtually columns, to be treated by such rules governing tho design of columns should be adhered lo' in the designing of the' chord. However, in ' this bridge the horizontal columns SO feet long were subjected to heavy stress, due to direct compressiont bending was not provided .with lateral stiffencrs, with,the result that there was heavy vibration of the 'structure during the passage of loads not necessarily heavy. . Thi3 will, in time cause general deterioration of all tho parts. There is no necessity .to go outside New Zealand. for steel bridges, for. I we have men able to meet all require, ments ,iu the way of design, workshops, and manufacture in a manner of which j any nation may be proud.