Amuri water scheme stops

Press, 10 April 1979, Page 2

Amuri water scheme stops

Thousands of people turned out to watch the steam tug Taioma being taken by trailer on Sunday from the Bay of Plenty' Harbour Board's slipway to the Tauranga District Museum, via Tauranga’s main road, Cameron Street. The Taioma weighed 300 tonnes, while with the two Mack tractors and the 104-wheel trailer the total weight was 414 tonnes, making it the heaviest lead carried on a New Zealand public road. The unit was 50.6 metres long and 8.3 metres wide. The Taioma was given by Mr R. A. Owens as a memorial to the merchant seamen who were killed in two world wars.

l All work on the Amuri.. [Plains piped rural water I I supply scheme has beeni [stopped by the Amuri j County Council because ofj lack of Government approval for finance. It is estimated that the cost of stopping will mean an extra $400,000 for the Amuri Plains irrigation scheme. The County Chairman (Mr A. A. Macfarlane) said he visited the Minister of Works and Development (Mr W. L. Young) to urge him to i

■ apporove the scheme but he [had failed. ■ Mr Macfarlane said he 'hoped the scheme might be approved after April 27, but, monetary authority would have to await the Budget in June However, special authority to proceed might b gained after April 27. The Ministry of Works and Development had asked the council to begin the scheme and it had now prevented the work from proceeding. J

e! “This is an extremely stupid thing," he said. e The effect would be that the open race system would e have to continue in the face of the Culverden irrigation j scheme. Any delay to the n scheme would be costly to I the irrigation scheme and t the piped water .scheme. Mr Macfarlane said that s the race system was not sufi ficient to deliver the water e requirements. Even if it - were upgraded, he said, he - doubted if the system would 'work because it could not

run water to all paddocks under irrigation. Irrigation development onfarm would be more difficult and expensive. The council also feared that the cost of the scheme wouk. rise while it was delayed. The council had already spent $lO,OOO and it was feared that some contracts might have to be cancelled until approval was gained.

“More results in increased production and consequent increased export earnings will be obtained from the irrigation if the piped water scheme is installed. . The cost-effectiveness of the irrigation scheme will be significantly reduced without it,” said Mr Macfarlane.