WELLINGTON'S FUTURE

Dominion, Volume 12, Issue 293, 6 September 1919, Page 8

WELLINGTON'S FUTURE

' THE WAIRARAPA RAILWAY j DEVIATION AND THE WAiNUI WATER SUPPLY (By Coleman Phillips,) The Slayor, Sir. Luke, has aisked the Honourabiy the Minister of Public Works to assuro tho Houso that no railway deviation should interfere with tho Wainui dams. I havo no objection to tho Minister doing this, but it -is a poor stand for Sir. Luko to take, in the city's best interests. The city wants both the Riinutaka iino deviated and'a good and ample of water. 1 linve been agiiuting for over 20 years to supply both theso crying wants. But in placo of aiding one, tho Mayor is doing his utmost to block both necessary works. Like a child with a now toy (this third Wainui daw) ho is annoyed if any ono , do res to question tho utility of tho scheme, or even to .ask tlio very pertinent question "Dam or tunnel?" Tho council adopted my proposnl to bring n. the Orongorongo water supply (which tho Mayor admits would increase tho town horse-power'supply by 100 per cent. ol ! now water); but says, that this most necessitous work win wait the completion of this third Wainui dam, which I have no confidence in, as Sir. Jlorloii is quito unacquainted with tlio earthquake of 1855, und some fine morning ho may wako up to find his three AVainui dams in ruins. ■ As Slayor, Mr. Lube was not right; in asking tho Sliiiistcr the question he did. It was done, I presume, to block the Rimutaka deviation via the AVainui. But ■ seven to ten 'thousand tons steamers oro already loading at AA'.mganuij_ tho harbour training wall thero is finished, and the dredge, I believe, is already in Wellington, ready to improve tho Wanganui bar. Soon 10,000 to 15,000 tons steamers will berth at AVanganui port,_ and AVcllington's supremacy as. the chief trading centro of tho province stands endangered, unless better and more level rail access to the port, is provided. Falmerston is 87 miles from AVellington, nnd only 63 miles from AA'anganui. P.ihiatna is t(Ki miles from ATellington and only 90 mii'.es from AVanganui. It will bo far cheaper for both Palmerston .and Pahiatua to look upon AVanganui as their chief trading centre directly, than upon AVellir.gton, seeing that they will both have rail access 'there practically upon tlio level. It will bo the same with the western and southern portions, of Hawke's Bay Province, which do not use Napier Harbour as their Chief centre. Wellington must lower its present atrocious rail grades, if it wishes to livo up to its ct'd motto "Suprema a Situ." And yet Sir. Luke asks the Slinister to block this be- , ing done via tho AVainui. Now this newly, 'mid wrongly proposed 8,000,000,000ga1. dam (I thought, it was only going to be 800,000,000) will tako three or four years to complete; whilst tho small tunnel to the Orongorongo (about two miles in length) to carry a 21inch main, would only take a. year to put through. Ninety-nine out of a hundredratepayers in' AVellington, dreading tho usual summer shortage, would, I am certain, say, "Givo us the new Orongorongo water supply first, before putting iu tho dam, or increasing or extending the present town reticulation." It is fully eighteen months sinco tlio council adopted the proposal to bring in tho Orongorongo water, nnd tho tunnel' could have been driven through by this timo and in working order, had Mr. Luke kept to his first intention. It is very doubtful whether the AVainui water shed is sufficiently! extensive .to supply a town like AVellington with sufficient water. But tho tunnel idea is evidently to be abandoned now in favour of tliis third dam, which Sir. Luke really hopes to do nil tlio city requires re water supply. But will it? Will tho'AVainui even fill theso dams in a dry season (four or five months I mean)? Again, will the three dams even afford a safe water supplyP Ono of your correspondents has rightly pointed out, that if this third eight thousand million gallon dam, or even one of tho three dnms, in exceptional flood circumstances, gives away, the city would practically be left waterless. Mr. Morton (a very good officer, but I think wrong in this matter) is putting all his eggs into 0110 basket; a huge mistake. His general work lias been 60 excellent that he may bo committing a fumhv lnontal error now, in this third dam idea. Two dams may'be safe,'but a third not so? Tho history of Mams, all the world over, for two thousand years past,, has shown the immense number of these structures that have carried away; bearing always huge disaster in their paths. Johnstown, for instance, in the U.S.A. Besides, an earthquake may easilv open up the concrete front wall of any one of these dams, and away will go tlio water, leaving the' city open to immense fire damage, as in San Francisco. Is it wise of the City Council to instal so much danger into the useful Wainui stream as three dams? Big buildings in the city may crumble into ruin from earthquake shock, aiul only damage themselves. But dam walls crumbling would render the city waterless. That is why I say Sir. Morton is wrong in putting three dams iu the AVainui, in place ot bringing in the Orongorongo. water; I think a Railway League should bo formed in AVellington to stop Mr. Luke putting iu this third dam. I know, it will be said,' that in the San Francisco easo (not so long ago, either),'it was the city mains turn broke in the earthquake there, and AVellington mains will similarly bo damaged. Quite so. But water mains or even tunnels, are quickly repaired, but not gigantic dams. As to the railway deviation. On no account do I wish to injure AVellington's water supply by tho two railway tunnels via AVainui. Sir. Luke mums quite well that I even proposed that the big 3i mile railway . tunnel (only the same as Lyttelton) should carry the 21inch water main from the Oiongoroiigo; but, the engineers condemned, that proposal as being unsafe for the .public. (I do not know why it would be unsafe for the public, ns tlio town water pipes, j think, go through tho Hataitai tunnel; a iilicroscopio precedent, I admit, but yet a premlcnt.) I still feel, for the city's best interests, that a third dam should not be put in the AVainui. That Sir. Morton is making a mistake in proposing it. That tho railwav deviation should bo made by the AVainui, as at first pro-po'-cd, as the city's fresh and sweet milk supply (inter alia) in summer depends absolutely upon it. That if the railway deviation be left solely ,to the engineers to determine, then a couple of French or Italian engineers be sent for to assist, our able engiiieei'-iii-chief (Sir. R. AV. Holmes) in the matter. lo my mind both' the two tunnels in the AA Tainui deviation, - and the froublo at tho Muki Sluki, in the-proposed motor road round the coast, at Palliser Bav would be found child's play in the hands of men who have dealt with alpine rai difficulties iu Mont Cenis, St. Gothard and tlio Simplon. Let us get, and pay well, the very best engineering talent wo can obtain anywhere to settle these important matters, as it will be found the wisest economy in the end for the city. Wellington's future progress ns a grout trading centre depends absolutely, upon having easy aoccss by low level grades of road and rail into flic city. AVhal; is the use of going via Tauherenikan, rising 1000 feet from the cily. If that route is adupted a large part of the, produce of the province will l-e shipped at- AVanganui. It has been pointed out to me by one of Wellington's leading citizens, and a former most excellent Mayor, that he does not see why the rnil deviation should not ;;o via Holland's A'nllcy, Ihrough to the AVainui, and so down that valley to the sea, and round tile coast lo the like. imi'l so on In I would point out lo Sir. Luke that he is not the only Mn.vnr AVellington has bad, and Hint what I have been proposing for si) many years, in llie public interest, shiiuhl not be lighllv east aside bv hini. even in favour of Sir. Slorlon's views. Wi'llim.'ton must lunnel out now. but I den'l think any tunnelling oul so ns lo lake the rail line round Ihe coast would b" of any benctil to the eilv. I have no nbieetion lo a motor road so n yr 'bat "ay, but not ;i ili-u.'ul. As S'm' ""H---lin 111 Uall-.l"nes sai'l In 111 c iu 1KB!): "Fnr he"ven's saki'. don't ask me to take a railroad s"ven or eight miles alone (he sen const." Of I lie three deviations proposed (Tniiherenikau, Wainui, and tho coasl), thai

via Wainui is a thousand times the best for tlio city's interest; and 1 feel certain that able French or, Italian engineers, with their great experience, would design Hie Wainui deviation without in al'iy way injuring the present water works there. It is for the city now to endorse or condemn this third great dam proposal, now that I have, as frankly ns I could, placed the whole matter before the ratepayers.