THE SPECIFICATIONS FOR THE WIN TON-KINGSTON CONTRACT.

Southland Times, Issue 1731, 22 April 1873, Page 2

THE SPECIFICATIONS FO R THE WIN TON- KINGSTON CONTRACT.

A. public meeting, called by Hi» "Worship the M;iyor ia compliance with a numerously-signed requisition, was held in the Council Hall, on Saturday evening, 19th*inst., at eight o'clock, to consider what steps should be taken with reference to the action of the Government in refusing to forward to Invercargill copies of the plans and specifications for the contract on the Winton-Kingston line, now advertised. The Mayor, on taking the chair, stated that as chairman of the Railway Committee he had been in correspondence with the Minister of Public Works, with the view of inducing him to send copies of the plans and specifications for this work to Invercargill. The telegrams composing the correspondence had been published, with the exception of on« received that morning to the following effect:— " Balclutha, 19th April. Appointment of grave consequence to the public service compelled me to return to Dunedin by Monday morning. I was therefore unable to. spend more time in your town. I regret that the Gorernmpnt not having sent copies of the Winton Eailway contract plans should have caused widespread and bitter complaining ; but am at a loss to understand why tenderers for such a contract as this cannot do as contractors in other parts of the Province, and go to Dunedin to see the plans, &c. — Edward Richardson." They would see, accordingly, that the efforts used up to the present time to induce the Government to reconsider their decision bad been unsuccessful, and he thought the inhabitants were justified in taking steps to assert their claims in this matter, as the course now followed would become a precedent, if allowed to pass without remonstrance. He con. sidered that the reason given for not complying with the first request of the Railway Committee — the alleged difficulty of getting copies of the plans — was a very inadequate one. It was for the meeting, however, to express their opinion on the subject. Mr Pratt then moved the following resolution : — " That in the opinion of this meeting the action of the Government in refusing to furnish plans and specifications of the Winton railway extension, for inspection at Invercargill, is calculated to exclude a large number of persons from competition, and materially to increase the cost of construction of the line." This resolution Mr Pratt supported by pointing out that local contractors, from their knowledge of the country, and the various facilities which they possessed for estimating the cost of local works, as well as advantages in the way of familiarity with the labor market, almost uniformly sent in the lowest offers. Every facility should therefore be given them. Further, he remarked, no contractor who intended to make other than what is called a " sporting offer," would do so without seeing the ground. To do so he would have to pass through Invercargill, and might as well look at the plans there as elsewhere, so that if only two copies of the plans were to be furnished it was to Invercargill and not to Dunedin, the second should have been sent. Mr W. J. Moffett seconded the resolution. Mr J. E. Cuthbertson desired to express his entire concurrence in the resolution, and trusted that the matter would be urgently pressed on the Government. It was only by reiterated and importunate demands that such concessions were obtained. He would further add, that whether the gentleman (Mr Knowles), who forwarded the first telegram knew it or not, the excuse that a set of plans would have to be withdrawn while copies were being made was not a valid one. Contractors were allowed to copy plans, while lying for inspection, and copies could be made for this purpose in the same manner. He hoped the present movement would meet with success. Mr C. L. Predric said that copies of the plans for repairs and alterations in the Parliament Houses, which were much more elaborate and cost more to prepare than these railway plans, had been sent to Invercargill, and he could see no difficulty in the way of the Government complying with the present request. The motion was carried unanimously. Mr John R. Cuthbertson then proposed the following resolution : — " That the chairman be requested to forward a copy of the preceding resolution, without delay, to the Minister of Public Works, with a request that he would cause the plans and specifications to be forwarded to Invercargill as soon as possible." This was necessary to give practical effect to the opinion they" had just expressed, and it was to be hoped that by persistence in urging their fair demands, the object might be attained. Mr C. L. Fredric seconded the resolution, which was carried unanimously, and the meeting was closed with the usual vote of thanks to the chairman.