BOROUGH STONE CRUSHER.

King Country Chronicle, Volume VI, Issue 482, 13 July 1912, Page 5

BOROUGH STONE CRUSHER.

CONTRACTORS' EPLANATION.

In Connection with the stone crushing plant supplied to the Te Kuiti Borough Council bv Messrs E. Po r " ter and Co., the following letter was received by the Council and real at the last Council meeting:— "We are in receipt of your letter, dated 3rd July, with regard to atone crushing plant. Mr Moffitt, who we appointed to superintend the erection of this plant, has called upon us this morning and drawn our attention to a report in your local . paper, "the Chronicle," regarding same. If this is a correct report of what took place . at the meeting in question, we beg to reply to various statements rnadu at that meeting as follows, and truat you will give equal publicity to this denial of the misrepresentations which appeared in the report referred to:— "First, as regards the engine and crusher: The engine is a standard type and built to a very exacting specification. The crusher was built by Messrs A. and G. Price, whose reputation for good work is well known locally. Before constructing screen and elevator, we wrote to Mr Spencer and received from him insruc tions and working drawings as to what was required. These we handed over to Messrs A. and G. Price, who carried out the work in accordance with your engineer's drawings. As to the speed of elevator, this •was also determined by drawings supplied and only requires a larger pulley to alter same. Before making any alterations, however, we would like to know definitely what size pulley you require, or, in other w-jrds, the exact speed at which you wish to drive elevator. "With regard to our advocacy o£ another engine to drive crusher, we still maintain that this would be a wise policy for the Council to pursue, as we consider a road roller is much too valuable a machine to keep at this work, when a portable engine, at quarter the cost, would answer the purpose equallv as well. At the same time, as far as power is concerned, the road roller is doing the work with the greatest of ease, and according to vour engineer's specifications was not to exceed 17 BH.P. "In referenceto capacity of crusher, we consider the machine has been heavily handicapped through stone being wet and covered with clay, and« also from the fact of the jaws being new—a new machine never feeds so freely as one that has been had a month or two of work. Moreover owing to the arrangement of bolts and elvators, it is impossible for two men to feed the machine to advantage at one time, and we consider the quantity specified, viz., 8 yards per hour, would require the services of two men to efficiently feed the machine. Again the positions of elevator, crusher, etc., were fixed by your engineer, who gave direct instructions to Messrs Poole and McDonald relative to the laying down of same. "In concusion, we woulld like to point out that the hoppers, mentioned in newspaper report previouslv refened to, are not part of our contract, being really a separate contract let to a local firm, Messrß Poole and McDonald, and were erected by them under the diect supevision of your engineer. "Referring to your letter of the 3rd inst.,we have to advise that we had a man running the crusher, but, owing to some misunderstanding with Mr Spencer, he left. As soon as Mr Moffitt ascertained this fact, he- went to Te Kuiti, taking with him another man, whom we trust will give satisfaction. "Further, we would like to draw your attention to the fact that according to the specification the Te Kuiti Borough Council find all labour in connection with the plant. Relative to your statement that ten days or more had elapsed without our having replied to the engineer's letter, we beg to state that Mr Spencer's letter v was dated at Te Kuiti, June 25th, and on receipt of same we immediately instructed Mr Moffitt to proceed to Te Kuiti —our instructions reaching him on the June 29th. when he waited only to procure a suitable man before proceeding straight up. "Finally, we must ask you to kindly instruct us, in writing, as to what alterations you require to complete the plant to your satisfaction, and we will endeavour to meet you to any reasonable extent. —E. PORTER AND CO."