AUSTRALIA’S DESTROYER.

Gisborne Times, Volume XXVIII, Issue 2732, 10 February 1910, Page 5

AUSTRALIA’S DESTROYER.

WHY BUILT IN SYDNEY

The. Commonwealth! Minister of Defence, in the course of a statement at Melbourne showed that there was no other course open to him than fx> hand over to the New South Wales dockyard the assembling of the’parts of the third' torpedo-boat destroyer. There were, he said, two courses which might have been taken. One was to call for tenders, and the other was to entrust the work to an establishment where one could he sure it would be carried out at) the actual cost plus a reasonable percentage. “As to the first,” lie said, “my officers tell me that it is rather doubtful whether a suitable tender could be made-for this particular class of work —namely, reconstruction —being entirely new. Again, public tendering would also exclude one of the yards best able to carry out the work, as the New South Wales yard is not allowed to compete against private firms. After consideration of the whole matter, mv officers recommended me to an alternative scheme, namely, that the offer already made by the New South Wales Government to do the work for the actual cost, with an additional 10 per cent to cover all departmental charges, be accepted. There are many reasons for talcing this course. To begin with, we want to ascertain accurately the cost of this class of work in Australia. My officers say that from the point of view of actual capabilities the New South Wales yard at Cockatoo Island appeared to give the best chance of the work being carried out satisfactorily.'