WANGANUI TRAMWAY SYSTEM.

Otaki Mail, Volume XXVIII, 15 November 1920, Page 4

WANGANUI TRAMWAY SYSTEM.

ME D. J. REARDON'S TENDER ACCEPTED. for some considerable time the electric tramway system at Wanganui has been causing a deal of trouble, rarely a day passing without the service j being interrupted, sometimes for hours < at a time, and thus causing much inconvenience as well as annoyance to residents. It has now been decided to considerably improve the service, and additional gas producer plants will be installed. Tenders for the work have Inen called, and of three first-class engineers that of Mr D. J- Eeardon, well-known in Otaki, has been accepted for io-iTo. The Mayor said that the matter v.as very urgent. The total cost of.Mr Rcardon's tender was slightly higher than the other two offers, but it was a fixed price, which the others were nut. He moved that the committee's recommendation be accepted. lie explained that while the Council was providing additional plant, it would not relieve the Council of all its tramway troubles, and these would not be entirely ovcicume until the steam plant was installed. Cr. Luxford seconded the motion. lie pointed out that under Mr Rear--1 don 'n contract there was an almost definite guarantee that the first pro-

ducer would be shipped from Napier ju.-.t before Christmas and would lie erected in three weeks from arrival at the power-house. When the two producers were installed he was cure that j the service would be run umuter- j tuptedly, and he also believed that there would be power to spare for sale to private connumers, and to run more cars. He was optimistic enough to say that in twelve month? the department would recoup the cost of the new plant and also make up a considerable amount of the loss incurred during the last four months, lie thought, howover, that it would be necessary to j raise fares a little. With regard to [Mr Rcardon's credentials, he said'that ! .fey were of the highest. He (Mr Eeardon) was energetic and desired to assist the Council. The new producers would use coal.

I At Cr. Sigley's request, the Mayor I J explained that there was a bonus for ! S completion of the plant delivered be- | fore contract time (17 weeks). The I earliest delivery would bo seven to j nine weeks for the first plant and fourI teen to fifteen weeks for the second. 1 The bonus was £SO per week for every | week or part, of a week short of IT | weeks in which fke plant was doliver- | ed, and there was also a penalty of the ■ same amount for even- week for nonI delivery of the plant after 17 weeks. ■ It was estimated that the bonus would Ibe about £6OO. This condition -would I apply to all the tenders received. : Cr. Sharpe said he was sorry that | Mr Reardon's offer was not accepted I fcefore, and he expressed pleasure at I the committee's recommendation. Mr F Eeardon had shown a keen and intelIhigcnt interest in' the service, had criticised it and had sriown how to help it along. Cr. Burnett supported the motion. ■He could not understand why the Council did not accept the offer previously. He complained of the committee engaging Mr Greenshields to report on the plant: the Council, he contended, should have had a say in the -election of an engineer. Mr Greenshields installed the plant in the fust place." and he contended that an j entirely disinterested man should have l-fcn obtained. Cr. Richardson also supported the motion. The producers were not installed before on necount of the advice of the consulting engineer, at a time when it was stated that there would be plenty of coal gas available. Crs. Liffiton and Thompson" sup- : ported the motion. The latter said i that the Council should seriously conI sider its tramway expenditure; it had I been steadily creeping up. 'i Cr. Donaldson said that as an in- ! evitable consequence of past "blunf derdom." he was compelled to support 1 the motio-. H> ; hoped that further trouble would not occur, for if there was a further hold up he was afraid the public would be after the Council with a scalping knife. He said that had there been a proper outlook before there would rot have been this trouble. He was glad to know that the tender was being given to a local man, aria s. —an whom he was quite ' sure would make a job of the contract. —"TTanraanui Herald.- - '