THE RAILWAYS

Hokitika Guardian, 25 May 1927, Page 1

THE RAILWAYS

RE-ORGANISATION OF WORKSHOPS.

WELLINGTON, May 23

Definite progress is being made with the programme of reorganisation of the New Zealand railway workshops under the .scheme of the Minister of Railways, said Air E. T. Spidy, Workshops Superintendent, when questioned to-dav.

“All the preparation work on sites that had to he undertaken by the Railway Department before contractors could start has been completed and the contractors are now busy on the sites putting in foundations and concrete side walls for the new workshop buildings.” lie continued. “The first consignment of structural steel lias now arrived from England for the Mutt Valley workshops, and it is hoped that it will come in increasing quantities from now on. We are still waiting for foundation holts for the South Island workshops. Steel from England has up to the present moment delayed the programme a few months, and (his has been due to the fact that structural steel people have not been able to get the necessary rolled steel from the rolling mills, because the rolling mills people could not get the iron, while the iron founders could not get coal, so that the whole delay is traceable to the big coal strike of last year. However, it is quite possible that this lost time may-lie made up if conditions in Engl a ltd get right sufficiently fast. “Quite a lot of the new machinery ordered last year has now come to hand and is being installed on arrival. Some of the larger machines, however, have quite evidently been delayed for tiie same reasons that arc delaying the- steel. Tenders for overhead trnv- ! oiling cranes and other moving equipment closed recently and we are very busy at the present lime analysing all Hie lenders received. This analysis and select ion of lenders is being done by various committees set, up In- the Minister, one for buildings, etc., another for machinery and another for electrical equipment-, and all are very active and are doing good work. These committees comprise the chief officers of the Railway Department concerned, and arc supplemented by experts from the Public Works Department who add their experience to all decisions reqwired. The method is a very broadminded one and has worked out very well.

APPRENTICES. f ’Tho apprentice instruction classes set up by the Department last year are also making good progress, although it will lake a few years to get the results that arc aimed at. AYhile in Australia recently I had the opportunity of inspecting the arrangements on the Victorian railways and saw the results obtained there, and their system can only be pronounced an unqualified succors. The results there have not. only been a direct gain to the Department by the increased knowledge that the apprentice brings to his works, which is in itself very great, hut a very much higher grade of hoys are applying for apprenticeship than obtained prior to the inauguration of the system. For instance their last report shows that approximately 80 per cent-, of the boys enrolled were trained in teolinical schools prior to their apprenticeship. “It is (lie intention with regard to the New Zealand railways that the apprentice training course should coordinate our requirements with regular technical school courses as soon as possible, and at a Inter dale it may be possible for us to arrange that the examinations conducted by the Railway Department will he those approved by technical schools hoards, and possibly under their supervision, so that the certificates will carry the same standing as those of the Technical Education Department. Our difficulty at the present time and this makes progress a little slow is due to the fact that a large majority of our hoys ran only ho classed as “first year” on account- of lack of prior instruction, but this matter will rectify itself in the course of time. None of these things are done in a iniimte, however. Slow hut sure is the only safe way. so long as it is not too slow.”