ADDINGTON WORKSHOPS

Taranaki Daily News, Volume LII, Issue 119, 17 June 1909, Page 2

ADDINGTON WORKSHOPS

THE COMMISSION'S KEI'OItT. TUB SYSTEM CONDEMNED. Hy Telegraph.-Prcss Association. Wellington, Last Night. The report of tin. Hoard m i, M ,, m v into the conduct of the .uldingiuii railway workshops was laid on i«e table of the House to-iluy. The Board eareful'ly considered the e,ndeiite given nl the iiii|iiiry. Tile work done at Addington was' partiallv repair ami partially new, and, under the existing conditions, the board found it Klill'ieiilt to separate tin- resnUs M>tained. The hoard had thought it hest to compare the eonduet ot the new work at Addington with modern manufacturing practices, hut drew attention to the fact that at Addition the newwork had gradually increased in amount, and had up to the present, probably from force of circumstances, lieen conducted very much on repair lines. "The history of .vlimigtnn," states the repont. ••appeared to h 0 the common history of such undertakings m which new work has gradually grown to such proportions Hint what is i.i reality 'A MAKESHIFT METHOD of carrying on becomes intolerable in such cases.'' The hoard linds, especially in the machine shop, many modern and efficient machines anil tools, •• The shops are generally well equipped for repair work, hut if manufacturing is to he economically and efficiently carried on. very considerable ultwivl'tas and additions must be made to the plant, appliances and buildings. The work has out-grown the capacity o| the [Haterolling plant. The arrangement and grouping of the machine are bad. The. tool room and equipment are not what | might have been expected in a shop ex--1 peeled to turn out accurate work.'' Ilavng drawn attention to further nia--1 chincry and equipment defects, the board ' recommends the complete remodelling of | liuildings. A well-equipped simp section ' for manufacturing limier frames is mi- : cossnry. and a complete multiple of drilling plant should he installed.

A BIG WASTE. The motive power arrangements were wasteful in the extreme and overworked. The boilers, etc., fully accounted for the enormous fuel consumption of :170() lons per Milium fur power purposes alone. The hoard recommends the abolition of the exist ini« airangcmvnts and the establishment. of a central producer-gas elective power generating station. The practice of currying on fogvt'.'or new and repair work, and of transfcrrng men and machines from one to the other, tends to increase the cost of production. There was a lark of system ill eonncetion with the machine shop and tool room, j anil the method of dealing with the equipment of- the tool room was unsatist'actorv.

Tin 1 system of time and cost in use was unsatisfactory. The foremen seem ed to spend 25 per cent, of their time going through the workmen's hooks. The lionril recommended thai, there should he complete separation of new from repair

The report then goes into technical | matters connected with the. arrangement i of the various mechanical branches. The hoard is satisfied from the evidence and its own investigation that there is no systematic loafing, "ft considers that the workshop manager should be lii'ld responsible for the results obtained, and, as a consequence, given greater powers of control. COMPARISON OF COST.

The cost of locomotives built at Aildington was carefully compared with similar work by Price Bros., of Thames, with the result that the cost of the work at Addington h all eases was greater than the cost of similar engines constructed elsewhere. The differences in cost are as follows:—Class A engine, 30 per cent, over Price Bros.' class A engines, .>4 per cent, more than English, and 74 per.cent, more than American cost.

The hoard considered tho so-called profit for the year had been arrived at by neglecting a portion of the charges of the foundry account. THE RESULTS SUMMED UP.

Summing-up the result of the inquiry, the hoard is of opinion that the work at Addington has' not been done as expeditiously and economically as it mifiil be, especially in the smith, boiler, machine, erecting, and ear and waggon shops. The plant and appliances were suitable for carrying on repair work, but required additiuiis to render it efficient for manufacturing purposes. The system of work was faulty owing to the com-/ 'bination of repair with new work. The discipline maintained at present was creditable to both officers and workmen, but the system of classification wns calculated to dishearten a better class of employees. If the Department was determined to continue the manufacture of locomotives, the board was of opinion that either the additional appliances enumerated should he installed at Addington or a new manufacturing shop section, distinct from the repair sectici, or mi independent general railway maun, faeturing shop, should be set up in a suitable locality. Failing one of these courses of action, contracts should in future be let to private firms for all locomotives required. THE MAXAdEU OF RAILWAYS. HIS REVIEW OF THE STATEMENTS.

The, Manager of Railways, in a lengthy memorandum attached to the report, explains the position as regards the railway workshops. These were originally intended as repair shops. Wlhcn the business of the country began to expand in 181)5 it was found there was insullicient rolling stock to meet requirements. Orders were placed for a large number of waggons, carriages and locomotives in England and America. The Government decided to (supplement the* -liy 'building at its own workshops. this course was adopted as obviating the erection of manufacturing shops. The wisdom of this course was now apparent, as the quantity of rolling stock turned out of the workshops during the last nine years bad placed the Department in a pos'itio-i to meet all demands of the trallic, and the Manager does not anticipate that any large additions to rolling stock are necessary.

Nome of the machines at Addington are admittedly not of the newest type. "If is," he stales, "uravasonablc' co compare the work done at Addington with modern manufacturing practice, which is entirely to separate repair from new work." ;|l ( , considers that the establishment of separate manufacturing shops is unwarranted. TI Hunger reviews the statements of the board regarding the plant ane "l>l'l <'''■'•• «»il goes into details connected therewith ami also the proposals for improvements. 11,. recognises that the motive power arrangements are not up-to-date, but 'believes' the matter resolves itself into a question, of expemliture. "There is," lie continues, "considerable dill'erence of opinion as t» what is the most ellieieat ami ecouo",1"1:.1 "J"";''' l'»wer for shop machin'n. lie does not concur m (h,, „,,;„. ion »t the board that a savin*- of .eSaOO a year could he cll'ocled by nuking _l lie change they suggested'in the motive power.

After referring ( 0 Uu , sykim l){ tmifi and its eost of kecpiii". which he considers thoroughly cll'cctivc. the Manager deals ,viUi the hoard's rcoomniemkit,,,;, il„ lt repair works should he completely separated from new work. He considers it impracticable in the M<l.n.,< conditions. He disagreed with e hoard :K u (|is( . i|llin( , ||o ' t'wt the evidence proved that the .iiuoii.ii „f work done by the nieil N sHistaelorv. 11,. (raversed the remarks inade l,y ,„,, ~,„„,.,, ,-,, , ((l "' illllereuccs ,„ ~],,, ( , () , t ,- . •««■ H should he rc,,,cnib,lred ttt If"'? ""idifious and facilities i„ ,v, nv /.ea and varied widely fro,,, those of the 1 " l , 1 " 1 . '""P 1 "'" and America. The conclusion* „.| the hoard tli.it. (lie work's "oi done as expeditiously ~„d (TO . , "'"'"cully as ,t might he ar< , „„,. ~J -ales ,„ aecordance ,witl, Ihe weight ol evidence.

'He fully recognise. n,„ dosirahilitv of separating repairs fro,,, new lV ork. 1,1,1 ,ll "'" ; "»l think the bu-lnes, s„t!it.oiei, incut ,„ ~.,„.,„, , ,„„,, limomit o lapital neces-nry to conip an „p-io. date uinnulacliiring shop. (o the course (hat should he followed !'.' '.' v( ' m " f ''"' ih'pailnienl eonDnuing the maiinlacliire of locoiuoliys the s, (1 „e obieclion applies, lie rjuTte ;'!' l '"-- a " ;, : s n ' sira-bility of improving lie e,,iiipu„.„t of various workshops from (imc to time „.< circumstances ~. ipnre and funds' are available

The renort wa, ordered to li,. on the table and be printed.