TRAMWAY TENDERS.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume LVII, Issue 60, 31 July 1914, Page 6

TRAMWAY TENDERS.

| - CONSULTING ENU]NEE ll'S REPORT. Mr. F. Black, consulting engineer, lias ' submitted the fo.lowin-r report to tl.e Borough Council in connection with the tramways tenders. TRAMWAYS TENDERS, CONTRACT No. 2. For this contract the tenderers' time tor completion llI1(1 u „ ldllr amo ,,„ u , . (l a.< follows: 1-'. S. Oreensinelds and <-''-'., Wellington, 11 mout] \* (1) 3(1,053 13 I (2) 35,1)03 13 1 (3) 3.5.1)03 13 1 I, , „ , (4) 35.513 13 1 John .McLean and Son, Auckland, 12 months (1) 38.13+ 1 111 (2- 38,027 1 10 <-*- and 1-. 8. Scott, Ohristchurch, eh'ht m,onth * °- 40,804 10 11 iUssrs Greenfields and Co.'s tender holds good so far as cost of rails is concerned uuti, July 30 and so far as other materials are concerned until ,' August 1. After these dates it is subject to market fluctuation. Amount (I) cover* the .supply of ■ double tongue points for the permanent •way; and (2) covers the supply of iSiug.e tongue points; amounts (3)' and (4) are for the same work as in the two J icrmer ones, except that instead of I square section hewn poles of 11 in to Bm. minimum size as specified, hewn round poles 12in. to Sin. minimum di imeter are offered.

With regaTd to th'e matter of points the double tongue type as compared with the single tongue give smooth")running of cars- at entrances to loons and double track, and because of the reduction of jolting ensure a lon'clear life and less expense o„ ear maintenance. *or tins reason as well ~s because of the greater comfort to pasml^ 8 '. 1 consid( ' r t'"-' additional cost (±ISU) is money well invested. It is true that single tongue points have •been used extensively on tramways wit this is because the ordinary dou'be tongue ly-e is- expensive. In 'the present case the double tongue type .specified is the subject of a patent and <s value lies in the fact that owi u ,r to the wearing part being renewable it can ba made much more cheaply than the ordinary double tongue' type. I'oints of this patented type have been' 111 use ior nearly twelve months at Napier, ami are giving the tramway management there every satisfaction. ' 'J be matter of poles calls for some cxp'an;tion. I specified the sqim.e ones in accordance with my usual py.,,tice at the time the specification was drawn up. i;.,;nni poles at that time '■•■'' o:i'y be iiiij-e.i-.ed to compete in case with syuare if of what is known a; "natural" type, i.e., bark removed. Owing to a (1,1-isiun of the Customs Department it is now possible to import poles hewn round at a lower cost than formerly, and there is little doubt but that they look better erected in the streets. As to the relative strength of these offered, I have not been ab! • in the time at my di-posal to go uceiira. > y fr.to this but I am reasonably satisfied, that the size quoted is large enough, except possibly for a few" positions where there will ] )e extra sire.-,-. If this is confirmed by calculation it would not be a big matter for the tenderer to agree to supply some poles of larger diann,-ter if I should find it necessary to have these at the posit ionmentioned. Subject to final satisfaction of the strength I consider they maxwell be adopted, and th'u, enable a saving of f-jijo to be made. As the next lowest tenderer is higher than Messrs. Greenshields and Co.'s by over £2OOO no injustice will be done to him by agreeing to this departure from the specification.

In the kfter which accompanies tied, tender. Miyrs (Jiven-diiehls and Co. state that thev interpret the conditions to mean that the six months - maintenance so far as it relate, to road surface will commence from the date each length of road is thrown open U<■ vdiicular traffic, also that any excess or deficiency of the quantities' inserted by them in the \)Y.\ „f Qu.intiliVs shall tiot all'eet tl-e contract amount. These, I may say. were my intention- win i: drafting tl„. c<ndi(ioii-. a.: 1 a- no other tenderer n.i-r,tions these points it mav tie concluded that the .-(.nrlitions havbcui understood ] JV „']. -pi,,, contra, ; will be a lump s one, the c -unci under it lmvinir a complete work f-r a stated pi-he but not a coumlete ~,,, any siirplu, material,

As the CiiiK'i: probably U -mviv Messrs .Cmeii.-liieW* si mi ' C„. er.rrie.l Ollt til!- COllstriK-tioil of till' Waihotllil 1 trannvays and t!„. permanent wav an■! overhead work „f the Xapier tramwavs'. llicy ;uv. therefore, experienced i„ thi(•lass ot w „rk. I surest that ti; ■ ('"lincil a.-eerta.n whether' this tender.,' "•'■ f, reduee the tillll . sti| ,„. '■' ted tor eoni|i)etion from ].| to I' months, as I tl,i, lk i( , s]l , ni]|| , " ■<iWp. Whether s„eh altera! ■, ■ a<;reed to or not ] I'erommend iii> ••mined t„ :l , r( . pt M ( .ss Irt . (Jreen-hiehis ami (o.s f.'iuler eeverin- do'i ; e toiiune point- aii(! round hew,, pole, at t..>.li!i:! l:js 1,!. -„!,;„,( to the n'diietion flat the eomieil may elaim in t, n „s of Messrs (!ree„>hiei,|, ami (Vs ],(,,.,. ~f Jnl.v -'■«. m wU,h a redm-thm „ft/„ ,„.,. edit, i- oli-red should vontrael-i' \o2. ••!. ami 4 l.e awarded to them .-,;. ,„.,'• ""'"■■ " -inrael, Xo-. ■> a „ (1 :! i)( ,

-Vc-rs. .loh„ McLean and Son'. (~, ''l''.'" •".">■ »»l'-'-i"'- t' : 'he one just •ie.llt v.- 11 I, ~„ 1],,. oc.unH Unit (he li .V.;' 1 ""'':' 1 '" r '■""'l'h-tioii is ]■> months l ' , " , •""'■•'■•■"•'- «.f :w.. , „lis i, !,,«■ \'\" r - »"t -•'■"■■ hj(" ou-IVome t!,e ,l\>- ::'•>"'<■; "I Cle high,,- fender ;,„„„„., lb- telloc, it -,-l_f i.-, perfectly elellc and "mount I .],, „„( (],;„]. ; L ( ~l ];< f,,,,.",]',.. Sailed ( .o:.,niin(. M'-iv <:. and F. s Wolfs tender r, -u'Maniiall, higher i„ a,ho,in' iicc '■"'■<•■■ ■■!' the foivs-om-. : ;,„l i- ln .■"-,-" »cer, not entirely in or,|,. r in ~,.„.,,,, . , ■'af-mr miuufaeiurer, of mater;"-, ■,,',• I" e"'" lb. oniciaJ -cbedule The tinto:- competio-,1 j, eight nionth>. In '", there is grave doub' «-l--"h.-:- aid, ~,.,;„,] ~,.„],] I; . ~,.,„,,.., ■•■ In "UV ivent. compb-tioi, i„ ei-i:-'■■;-il!is V.-O'-M l,e „f no ,„„ („ ,j„. ~..,,,. ' '■> ""'■— 'lo' :.llb ct.lfion eqnipmcv ;'"-l -ar-c e-M he procured in (he ..aine '■- ' ;>-; ' " li'l- t'-i'der. ~..»;„.. t!, ;1 . 'if