ACHIEVEMENT IN RIVER WORK

Chronicle (Levin), 10 December 1947, Page 2

ACHIEVEMENT IN RIVER WORK

dragline completes its programme The programrne of work in the Otaki River originally planned for the drag-line was brought to a completion on Thursday last, and to mark the occasion the mdn on the vjob were entertained that day at afternoon tea by members of the staff at the Public Works Department camp. Among those present were members of the mechanical and electrical branch of the Public Works Department, Wellington. In the course of various impromptu speeches, the men were thanked for the flne job of work they had'done — a job which was a credit to themselves and also to those who were instrumental in obtaining this fine machine. It had been stated that the dragline had shifted about 670,000 cubic yards of gravel, and in addition to this some 130,000 cubic yards of gravel had been handled by other mechanical means to form the left stopbank. Some 12,000 willows and poplars had been planted aird 70 tons of rails driven on the river bed above the bridges to mark training groynes. Some 1,250,000 K.W.H. units had been generated in the power house by six diesel engines to drive the drag-line. Although the machine has finished its task, a fair amount of stopbanking and bank protection work still remains to be done.