REFRIGERATING PLANT

Dominion, Volume 12, Issue 274, 15 August 1919, Page 10

REFRIGERATING PLANT

CITY COUNCIL ACCEPTS A TENDER. At yesterday's special meeting of the City Council Councillor C. ii. Norwood (chairman of the i\lilfc Committed) reJiorted that in accoruauce with -the council's authority to purchase a refrigerating plant, the committee had called tor tend era, and one had been accepted.' The committee Imd deemed, it advisable to go outside tiie council's officers to get independent advice, mid the thanks of the council ware due to Mr. Lodder (of, the Gear Meat Company) for such : advice. The acceptanco of the tender of Messrs. J. J. Niven and Co. for .tho supply and erection ot the plant was TOoniinended by the committee. The price was .i'lo/1). The .Mayor: There were other tenders? Councillor Noruoed said I hero u cro four tenders. The lowest was .£ll Tinder | the one recommended for acceptance, hue the committee were of opinion that they should nupport local industry, all other tilings being equal, and the tender of Niven and Co. was freely recommended bj Mr. Lodder. Councillor A. R. Atkinson said that it seemed to him that the proceedings were irregular, and ho expressed a douot as to whether they were valid. The Mayor said it would have to bo endorsed at' the next meeting of the council. At the same t'ms, he reminded the council that authority had been given the ii ilk Committee with power to isct, and the matter need not have been brought forward at all, but Councillor Norwood, with his usual ; eneiosily, wished to take the eouncl Mito his confidence. Councillor Norwood admitted that in a measure Councillor Atkinson was ({into right but he said that tiie council had ghen the committee authority to purchase plant at an expenditure up to jei&OO, whereas the tender had 'come out at JE1075. . Councillor Atkinson stated that- when a special meeting was called the business must by law be restricted to what appeared on the notice calling tho.meei- • Councillor Fraser wished to know if the council could delegate the jiower of accepting tenders to any committee. The Mayor stated that.if that wcro not done in connection with the council's trading concerns, they apt to bo stuck up. For instance, committee had not certain powers, Wellington might bo left witnout any milt nt all. In any case, authority had been given tlio committee to purchase rccoinniendation was then put in tho form of a carried without dissent.