The New Waterworks
Opening of Tenders by the City Council for the Wainuiomata water supply scheme… The tenders were then read by the Town Clerk as follows:-
[1] McKinnon and Tannahill, Glasgow – No.1, £8 9s per ton; Nos 2 to 10, £14 11s per ton; Nos 11 to 14, £1110, all wanted; No.15, £30 per ton; No.16, 4s per lb; No.17, £26 per ton.
[2] Laidlaw and Son, Glasgow – No.1 £7 14s per ton; Nos 2 to 10, £13 per ton; No.11, 8s each; No.13, 9s each; No.15, £740, all wanted; No.17 £22 per ton; bolts, 5s; testing machine £260
[3] D. Robinson and Co., Dundee (per Levin and Co.) – No.1 £8 15s per ton; Nos 2 to 10 £12 per ton; Nos 11 to 13, 15s 3d each; No.15 £20 per ton; No.16 3s 6d per lb; No.17 £30 per ton; hydraulic testing machine, £190.
[4] McLaren and Co. (per J. & A. Anderson, Christchurch) – No.1 £8 per ton; Nos 2 to 10 £12 per ton; Nos 11 to 16 £1300 the whole; No.17 £21 10s per ton.
[5] McEwen and Co., Melbourne (per Dawson and Co.) – No.1 £8 19s per ton; Nos 2 to 10 £12 per ton; No.15 £25 per ton; No.16 2s 6d per lb; Nos 11 to 14 and 17 and testing machine £1600 the whole. The figures given above were for the different items contained in the specifications, as follows:- No.1 cast iron socket pipes; No.2 cast iron crosses; No.3 cast iron trees; No.4 cast iron fire plug trees; No.5 cast iron risers; No.6 cast iron reducing pieces; No.7 case iron sweeps; No.8 cast iron special castings; No.9 cast iron thimbles; No.10 cast iron dead ends; No.11 fire plugs complete with gutta percha balls; No.12 street boxes for fire plugs; No.13 valve boxes; No.14 sluice valves, price for each sized valve, including the connecting pipes, as specified; No.15 wrought iron bolts and nuts for connecting flanged pipes to valves, and fire plug tees, risers, and fire plugs; No.16 insertion washers cut to the different sizes required for all flanged objects; No.17 pig lead. Robinson and Co. also sent a tender for £77,700 for the whole of the contract. The Mayor said that the Council would see it was wholly impossible for them then to find out the relation the amounts of the tenders stood in to each other. They would have to be referred to a small committee, to examine exhaustively, and report to another meeting of the Council…
