Armidale gasworks condition
Friday 13 August 1954, The Sydney Morning Herald
GASWORKS CONDITION ARMIDALE, Thursday. — The Armidale municipal gas manager, Mr. R. L. Campbell, who was suspended by Armi- dale City Council on June 1, said to-day the gas undertaking was in poor condition when he took it over in 1938. He was giving evidence at an inquiry by Mr. J. A. Harris, former S.M., into the suspension. The council suspended Mr. Campbell after considering a report by the former principal gas engineer in the Depart- ment of Local Government, Mr. Allan Brown. Mr. Campbell said to-day that major difficulties with shortages of materials, labour and repairs arose during the war and continued after the war. He said most of the recom- mendations made by Mr. Brown in reports on the undertaking in 1950 and 1951 had been substantially com- plied with. There was keen competition between the gas department and other departments of the council for services of the city engineer's blacksmith's shop and other works facilities. However the City Council engineer, Mr. J. D. Brown, had always given priority to the urgent needs of the gas department. Mr. Campbell said that in one period of six months his own overtime worked out at an average of 10 hours a week. He received no payment for overtime from the council. Up to 1950, when Mr. Allan Brown's report was made, there were still delays of up to two years in getting equipment.
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