SINGAPORE BASE

Hokitika Guardian, 14 November 1928, Page 3

SINGAPORE BASE

’NEW DOCKYARD. LONDON (FIRM SECURES CONTRACT. LONDON, Oct. 2. The Admiralty announces that it has now accepted the tender ol Sir J. Jackson, Ltd., of 53 Victoria street. Westminster, for the construction of the new dockyard at Singapore, the contract time for completion being seven years. The works arc situated on the old strait - which separates the island of •Singapore from the mainland ol Malaya. Until recently the traffic of the Federated Malay States Railway had to bo ferried n'-nws this strait, hut as the result of the 1 construction of a stone causeway linking up the town of Singapore and the laniong Pagar docks with the general railwav system the eastern end of the old strait has been converted into an ideal harbour. The entrance to the harbour will ho from the east, and a few miles up will be (be large floating dock and abreast of it a small basin in which shies, such as mercantile auxiliaries, store '•arDors. train' 1 steamers, etc., can he berthed alongside a wharf and unload (.heir cargoes into godowns, in which the stores will remain until they are required for used in the dockyard or hv the Fleet. The site of the works has been specially chosen with regard to naval requirements a,ml to the engineering necessities of the case so ns to obtain at a moderate dedh suitable foundations for the dock and the Im.avv wbiM-f walls which form the backbone of the scheme. £7.750,000 SCHEME. The naval nnrt of the whole Singapore scheme is cst.i ,li atod to £7.7'0D90. This estimate is for the naval base, with its equipment workshops, buildings, railways, roads, water supply, and other necessaries. Tt. dons not include the cost of the site, which was presented as a eft to the Navy hv the Government of 'th'Straits Settlements. In addition to this gift, of land, the fellewiimr contribution towards the cost- of (he worts at Singapore have been made or premised: Honc-Kong, £250.000 : N"'v Zealand. £1.000.000; Federated Malay States, £2.000.000. The design of the works now being contracted for has he»n supe-wired hv Mr L. F. Sa.vile, C. 8.. Civil En-"inoer-in-Cliief at the Admiraltv. Ldeciding on the engineer"!" of the scheme, he has consulted the firms of Messrs Goode. Eit/.m-uriee, Wilson, and Mitchell, and Sir Alexander Gibb and Partners. Fall advantage is being taken of th" ’vvlawM features of the site, both with regal d to securing an economical lay-out and providing for any future development wldch m.nv become necessary. A NEW ZEALAND ENGINEER. Tt is interesting to record that the Chief Assistant Engine'"- a»d A= : ' :f--nnt Work? M.anno-er of Sir John .Ta'Pson. Ltd., is a New Zealander—Mr J. Collet Dickinson, who is well known all thron'd’ the rtn is n" “old hoy” of Auckland Grammar School, gaining there a scholarship for Auckland University College. Then lie went to Canterbury Collo"o (191720. and toe'- Ids BD. (CMP (WreFor a year ho was with the Auckland TT m-’-o"'" Board in the design and construction of works section. From 95 lie was with Messrs Kirk and R'">ddi on th<> construct ion of rQ! ' ”' n rks; pier. "-alls, and dm-ks. in IQ -0 i” the design department of Messrs Dorman. Tong, and Co., lie was ongne-d in connexion with Svdney bridge, and the erection scheme for NeweastleGatesliead bridge, which has the largest arch in England. Since he has been' with Sir J. Jackson Ltd., the firm has had the contract, for the Nag TTammude Barrage (£2,000.000,) an interesting point being the spanning of the Nile with five cableways 3100

feet lons. or nearly 50 per cent longer than any previously built. At the end of 1927 Mr Dickinson visited the site of the Singapore Naval Base in company -with the Works ,Manager f >r the purpose o? examining the local conditions.