THE RAILWAYS.

Hauraki Plains Gazette, Volume XXXVIII, Issue 5073, 10 January 1927, Page 3

THE RAILWAYS.

RECONSTRUCTION OF WORKSHOPS THE SUCCESSFULL. TENDERERS. The announcement of the acceptance of tenders for the foundations of the buildings to be. erected on the Petone and Otahuhu sites, marks. ye,t another stage in the workshops reconstruction programme of the Minister of Railways (Right Hon. J. G. Coates). A local firm has secured the contract in each casq. The tender o’f Messrs. McLean and Gray, of Wellington, has been accepted for the foundation work at the new Petone workshops, and that of Messrs, J. T. Julian and Sops,, of Auckland, for the work at Otahuhu. The contract prices were the vicinity of £9OOO and £7500 respectively. The tender for the foundation at Addington and Hillside in the South Island, do not close until Monday next. The big scheme of workshop reorganisation embarked upon by the Government makes provision for the expenditure off approximately £1,500000, spread ovqr a period of three years. A sum of £300,00'0 was allotted for the. year which ended on March 31 last, £600,000 is set aside for the period closing on March 31 nqxt, and a similar amount is to be earmarked for the third term. Th first contract lest was for the construction at an approximate cost of £200,000 of the new locomotive repair shops in the industrial area at Petone, the successful tenderer being Sir William Arrol and Company, of .England. Then followed the acceptance of the tender of Messrs Hansford and Mills (in conjunction with Messrs Dorman, Long, and Co., Ltd., of Middlesborough), for the new passenger car and waggon shops at Otahuhu, the contract price in that instance approximating £150,000. Towards the end of Novembar last Cabinet approved the tender of Mr W. McLellan, of Dunedin, for the. construction of the two remaining shops, Addington- and Hillside. The contract price was in t,he, neighbourhood of £200,000, and Sir William Arrol and Company were named as suppliers of the steel work.

Prior to the letting of the above contracts arrangWnents were made for the levelling of the sites, and in this connection it might be mentioned that the work at Petone was carried out by the, Public Works Department. FURTHER CONTRACTS. At an early date tenders will be called for .the second year’s quota of machinery, for which delivery will not be required until the new shops are erected at the beginning o’f 1928. It is a heavier line of machinery, including that to replace the machinery which it was not considered economic policy to secure and utilise for the short period remaining in the old shops. Later on contracts will also require to be led for the supply of asphalt floors, electric lighting, lines, etc. In the matter of equipment, one economy has been effected through the co-operation of the Railway and Public Works. Department. Four 750 cubic ’feet per minute air compressors, which were, used during the Otira tunnel construction, are being taken over by the Railway Department to supply compressed air for the workshops, thus avoiding the purchase, of new machines. PROGRESS TO DATE. Good progress has been made, with the preliminary work undertaken at the various sjtes. At Petonci the Public Works Department has put in the approach road from Randwick Road, and, of course, the main line and several sidings are in. whole site is pegged out and most of the drains and manholes laid, and timber for sarking and floors is being delivered on tha site ’from the Weot Coast. At Otahuhu site levelling is well advanced, and progress is being made with the. drains. At Addington and Hillside the clearing of the sites to enable the contractor to proceed with the erection of the first’shops has been practically completed.