MR. F. W. FURKERT

Dominion, Volume 13, Issue 259, 27 July 1920, Page 5

MR. F. W. FURKERT

ENGINEER-IN-CHIEF AND UNDERSECRETARY OF PUBLIC WORKS.

Mr. R. W. Holmes has already relinquished his duties as head of the Public Works Department, and Mr. I. W. l'urkert, now Acting Under-Secretary of Public Works and Engineer-m-Chief of tho Dominion, will succeed to tho dual position in due conrao. Mr. Furkert joined the Government service as n cadet on March 12, 1894. In that' year ho headed the list for New Zealand in thle Civil Service examination, and waa at once offered acadatship m tho Education Department, but before he actually took up office duties of any kwd ho was offered a cadetship in the engineering branch of tho Public Works Department. After being for 6ome eight months in the. draughting rooms at the head office, Mr. Frnkert was sent to Greymouth to assist in some railway road rorvey work, and wa9 concerned in the Greymouth-Hokitika and Jackson s-Otira lay-outs. In 1897 he was transferred to tho survey and construction party oa the Main Trunk line, which was then working northward from Makatoto, anu wonted on that job- up to Piriaka, junctioning with the northern party (under Mr. Louch) in March, 1901. Whilst engaged on that task it was customary to come into Wellington during the winter months as work in the bush! was impossible under the conditions then prevailing. During one of these spells Mr. Furkert worked out an alternative railwav rout© for the Hutt to tli6 Wtiirarapa, via tho Wainui Valley and the Orongorongo, which is on tho Department's Tecords. He was for a time Assistant and then Resident Engineer at Stratford, and in May, 1906, was transferred to Taihapo as Resident Engineer with practical charge of tho central section of the Main Trunk railway. In order to bo closer in touch with this work Mr. Furkert shifted his headquarters to Ohakune, and was thereuntil tho railway was opened in November, _ 1908. In 1909 he was promoted to be District Engineer at Dunedln, and during his regime was immediately concerned in tho construction of the Catlins River, law-rcnce-Beaumont, Orepuko-Waiau Rivera dale-Switzer's, and Waimaholaa-Tokanui railways. It was during his torm at Dunedin that Mr. Furkert planned an irrigation. scheme for a part of Ctentral Otago. Thie Mount Ida Valley.lias profited considerably by the scheme, and land which cost 10s. per acre has bean mad© to yield £20 per acre profit. Mr. Furkert left. Dunedin in 1912 to become Inspecting Engineer for the Dominion, and last year was appointed to the position of Assistant Engincer-in-Chief.