THE NEW DAM AT WAINUI

Dominion, Volume 12, Issue 278, 20 August 1919, Page 3

THE NEW DAM AT WAINUI

ITS EFFECT ON WELLINGTON'S FUTURE Mr. Coleman Phillips writes:—"l wish to warn Wellington citizens against wlufcf the "City Council is doing, by constructs ing this now dam at Wainui, as it will mean tho wreck of any hope of deviating the Bimutaka railway via the Walnut. Tho council admits that tho Wainul water supply can.be increased 100 per cent, by bringing in tho Orongorougo water (which should bo an ample supply for tho city for ten years to come), but it prefers to build the now dam aiul wreck tho' railway Even with the present reservoirs at Wainui 'there is a difficulty about tho railway, but that could bo overcome. Not bo if a. new dam is constructed. It is greatly against the city's interests that ilr. Luko is so opposed to tho railway deviation via tho Wainui-o-Mata.

"Wellington citizens must consequently- contemplate tho carriage of their stock and goods over the Tauherenikau divide, 1070 ft. as against 570 ft. via Wainui. (The new surveys will tell us shortly the exact haulage heights.) But there can be no express service out of town via the Tauherenikau (which is what is absolutely-required); whereas there can be via tho Wainui, as a rise of570ft. is not prohibitive. (Upper Hutt ie 211 ft. above Lambton station, but tho rise thereto is hardly noticed.) I understand that a grade of 1 in 70 can b B obtained both by Tauherenikau and Wainui, but 1070 ft. ha-ulage 'height via Tauherenikau I have always regarded as opposed to all our interests. "The new dam also cuts off any hope of Wellington acquiring a vast new residential suburb at the Western Lake; which lies very little further from town than tho Upper Hutt.' Given railway communication, residents will cluster at both ends of the Wainui tunnels, as they do at Hataitai or the Lyttelton tunnels. It is far better for Wellington to tunnel out, than to accept the 1, in 70 grade ovef the hills, which sas bowi too long against the city's progress. Neither can a fresh and sweet milk supply bo run into the city in summer time, oyer tho hills. Only an express sen-ice, fairly on tho level, will do that. "Tho new dam will not supply tho growing wants of tho city. The Orongorongo must l» brought in, and the AVairongajnai supply also; and eventually, a low level tunnel, to tap the immense supply from tho Wairarapa Lake reservoir itself. In my opinion this supply from tho Great Lako reservoir should bo provided for at once, in place of b'lmling tho new dam at Wainui. AVithin five or six years' ■ time wo shall eee an elcv!trie tram lino running from Wellington to Upper Hutt, aiul privato enterprise (much better than Government or municipal action) building the necessary houses required all along that tram line, in the-'-ordinary expansion of any large city; stopped, of course, 'duripg tho war. Mucli more water in summer timo will therefore be required than tho council is providing; the dams, in my opinion, having always shown themselves undcpc'iidable. ' Why then destroy Wellington's real future interests for the sake of another of these dams? Is it not a nanw-minded petty policy unbecoming a great city? "We cannot expect the Government to take on tho construction of tho two Wainui tunnels, after its experience •with tho Otira tunnel; so Wellington citizens should form a Vigilance Committee to look after their real intoretits in the matter. A short timo since, tho Mayor intended constructing a tunnel to bring in the Orongorongo supply. Ho intended making that tunnel a traffic tuunei. Now he appears to have quite changed his views, and based tlio town s futuro water supply upon the new 8&0,C<K),(X)0 gallon dam, which I eon team will bo undependable. Wellington wants now and aitiplo water supply; not so much a further conservation of_the old Wainui service, which always gives out in summer time. Why 1 think a Vigilance Commttee it> required is that if the whole matter of Wellington's future rail and water services is left to the engineers (the present intention), those gentlemen may sacrifice the future ol file city for present wauls; whereas it is the futuro that really requires to bo considered now, seeing that Wellington may increase faster than the City Council contemplates. True, a number _of business gentlemen are.to be joined with tho engineers, but Mr. Luko will liavo tho whole thing cut, dried, and spoiled before they are even appointed. It. is because I am convinced that a sueet supply of milk cannot be supplied to tho town, over tho hills, in summer (as I told Messrs. Luko and Norwood) that I advised quick transit through the tunnels: the whole question depending upon quick transit; and I now tell the council th.it tho Wainui stream, by itself, dam it as tho council may, is not capable of supplying Wellington and its suburbs yith a full water service. During the "past '40 years I have had experience of dry summers and know what all our rivers shrink to."