Lighting Scheme Delayed.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume XLVII, Issue 7858, 28 June 1905, Page 2

Lighting Scheme Delayed.

WHERE iLIES THE BLAME*? A letter was read at the Borough Council on Monday evening l from the consulting engineer (Mr K. h. Mestayor) enclosing copy of invoice for materials supplied in connection with .the contract, and recom- ! mending a progress payment of 75 j per cent of their value, as» the goods I were in the custody of the Council. |Mr Mestayer remarked that there was

some delay on the part of tho Brush Uomixmy, the contractors, in not sending plan of the distributing! station, but thu Company did Mil <iuita deserve all put down on their shoulders. The plalrt, or a large portion of it, had been in New Plymouth for Mine tinio, and had the powerhouse beoi in progress they could have been erecting it. "I had sent up the power house plans," he added, " ir time for the wos'k to be put in fiami now,, if .the Council had let the con- ! according to the original plans,' He was now infclimvl to think that il would bo almost as well to let tht work strtid over until after the win ter, A spusial advantage in regain! U working wh'ile the water was shut of from the buttor factory's race Jiac beep lost "through the delay occa sion»d by the Council." 'All this de lay was no fault of Uie Urush Com pany, and their contract time wonli have to l>e extondod.

The electric light committee draftd a reply recommended to be sent oMr .JJeatuyer. This set out that he goods mentioned were not iin; tiht lossossioii of the Council, which do •lined to »nnke any payment till they ware. Strong exception! was taken :o the part of the letter seeking tt .lii'ow the onus of delay, in connec tion with the power house, on tlw Council's shoulders. The contract for the installation was signed ot 3ctoEer 8, 1904, and Mr Haes, or behalf ot the contractors, then pro mixed he would on his return- to Sydney forward the plans in three weeks The Council than pointed out the no eessity of the work being done during the summer months in conscience of the low-lying and swampj haractor of the power station site, Both Mr Mestuyer and Mr Hues hu( been repeatedly urged to furnish tni Council with these plans so that th» work could Be proceeded with, but il was not till May 17 that the plan* came .forward, an'l then only piecemeal until May 22. Some minor alterations were made to these plant by the Council, which should not have taken half.a day at the outsid* to complete, and the plans were returned to Mr Mestayer on May 24, but up to the present nothing further had been heard by the Council, "As you, shy that the delay is nc fault of the Ilrush Company's," the letter continued, ''the Council can arrive nit no other Conclusion than thai it is entirely yours, an'd cannot but express regret at the further unsatisfactory character and lone of joui letter by which you seek to delay the installation a still 1 longer and indefinite period. Altogether the. Council has to express its em|i|iatic dissatisfaction at the perfunctory manner in which this contract: hns been allowed by you to proceed) and at its present disappointing*: position. The state of the site at tße pjresent moment is most unsatisfactory in view of the work required to be done there and must result in a considerilily increased cost to the Council, -.h'lst at the same time the Council is loting, and seems likely to lose for some time, to come. ' the income which the working of the installation ihoulif give it." Cr. Urooking (chairman of the electric lighting committee), in moving that the letter be forwarded,, scathingly referred to Mr Mestayer's attitude all along. The power house sit? »vus now unworkable through tite wet weather. Cr. Ilrowne seconded the motion. Cr. Cliff was sorry t/io Council had not put in an eiuphiat-ic protest before. The Mayor said the reason for the delay was owing to delayed plans. The electrical engineer had been engaged, in his opinion, months too soon, simply because the Council took Mr Mcslnycr's advice and cou,ld not subsequently get the; plans. For two years the Council had had difficulty with Mr Mestayer. , The motion was unanimously carried. It was also resolved on 'he committee's recommendation :—'That Mr Mestayer be informed that ilhe Council desires an arbitration clause to be inserted in theconditiorfc of contract for tpe power-house."!