Inspection Of Hillside Workshops.
At the invitation of the General Manager of Railways Mr. H. H. Sterling, over 100 members of the Dunedin Chamber of Commerce recently paid a visit of inspection to the Department's new workshops at Hillside, Dunedin. The visitors were accompanied by Mr. Sterling, Mr. E. T. Spidey (Superintendent of Workshops), Mr. C. Graham (Workshops Manager), Mr. G. Baird (General Foreman), and other members of the official staff at Hillside, who acted as guides and demonstrators. Commencing with the Steel Wagon Shop a thorough inspection was made of the entire works, the visitors being much impressed alike by their magnitude and modern equipment. Especially interesting to them was the fact that the principal raw materials in use at Hillside were of New Zealand production—the Otago Iron Rolling Mills at Green Island, supplying large quantities of rolled iron and steel, whilst Onakaka pig Iron was used exclusively for iron castings. After the inspection, the visitors were entertained by the Department at afternoon tea in the dining room of the Social Hall, in the course of which they were addressed by Mr. Sterling, who briefly outlined the policy of the Department in regard to the workshops generally. The illustrations shew: (1) The visitors outside the Workshops Manager's office; (2) inspecting shop layout work; (3) watching cold-flanging of boiler plates; and (4) the visitors at afternoon tea.