ROUGHING IT

Dominion, Volume 11, Issue 158, 23 March 1918, Page 2

ROUGHING IT

MAYOR OX THE WAIKAREMOANA TRIP. Speaking to a Dominion reporter yesterday 011 tlic expedition of _ local body representatives to Lake Waikaremoana, tbe Mayor (Mr. J. P. Luke) said that the trip lmd been interesting on account of the difficulties they had to go through to reach their objective. After leaving FraSertown they had to travel on an nip-grade the whole way over a road that was worse than a ploughed field, and was in a. very bad state indeed on account or the recent rainstorms; Though tho car in which ho travelled (in company with Dr. Newman, . M.P., Professor Basterfield, and Mr! Harris, M.I 1 .), had a 70" horse-power engine% and chains were wrapped round the wheels, tiiey were frequently brought up standing, owing to' t.hc difficulties which had to be overcome. The party left Wairoa in cars at 10 o'clock last Friday morning, but it was 4 o'clock in. the afternoon before they reached the head of tlto lake, ana others came along after them. On the way up they stopped at tho Maori pa known as Momaki, where the Natives had prepared an interesting reception for them. 'It was a hearty and hospitable welcome, and Dr. Newman and himself took tho occasion to thank the Natives for their consideration. As Lako House couid not accommodate the number of guests represented by the delegation, an adjacent cottage was commandeered, aud another party, oonsisting of Sir James- Carroll and others, camped m marquees at the foot of the hill. Tho next day—Saturday—*a large number went on a launching excursion round tho lake, afid another section climbed ,{ v miles over tho hills to Waikare-iti! When they visited tho outfall < tbo lako w;us at its maximum, height (giving a depth of IUOOft.), and Aha water was pouring over the lip of the dam at a great rate. This natural dam, which is not very wide, looked as though it had been made by hurcon hands. That outfall, however, is oniv one of several, and m "0' sensons did not operate at all. 1n« real outfalls from tho iake wcro the subterranean tunnels near by, which tapped tho waters of tho lake, at -jonie depth, and gushed out of the hillsido in vast volumes and unfailingly. It was from these weird and wonderful subterranean outfalls that it was proposed to derive the water-power for the big livdro-electric schemc, and it was the elevation of these great; snouts of water and the ease with which they could be. conducted to a power-house which lr.ado the proposal so attractive. The idea of Sir. Pj irr > was to conduct the flow of these several outfalls to one common point, and from there construct the intake for the turbines, .which would.Jh.e erected in a power-house some oOU or iuu feet bolow. ' , "To m'v mind," said the scheme 'appears to be the soundes proposition that could be mafle. L is a natural power supply site. *.Hb one great difficulty presented is that of access—access by a. road to _ the transmission lines leading to Wairoa, which is essential in case aajt.ung vero to go wrong at any time., llw scheme should work in splendidly witu t'lu other two —from Mangahoe, for the Wellington district, and whatever one is decided upon for the Auckland district. In my opinion, Mr. I arry s scheme is a sound one. It means the linking up eventually of all three schemes, so that should one line fail, a ssistanco could he given by other lines until repairs,are effected. It should perhaps be mentioned that the Waikaremoana. outfalls are capable of developing IflG,ooo horsepower,