ARAPUNI DAM

Hokitika Guardian, 11 March 1929, Page 6

ARAPUNI DAM

JUDGED SAFE

(By Telegraph—Press Association).

WELLINGTON, March 10

Holding, that the Arapuni Dam is a perfectly safe structure, and is ful-* filling all that was expected of it, the Minister of Public Works lias reported to the Prime Minister that there is no justifiable reason why a Commission should bo set up to investigate the stability of the darn.

The report of the Minister, together with the report by the Engineer-in-Cliief to the Public Works Department, Mr F. W. Furkert, has been made available for publication by the Prime Minister, who, in doing so, intimated that final action in the matter would be taken by Cabinet at an early date.

The report of the engineer states that, the rock is of an unimpeachable character all over the foundations, and in carrying out work 110 conditions were found which differed from those known to the Department before the cont ■ ; win 'let.fi The flows of water; pa. t the ci. n have, decreased euor-j ir.ou !y. Sonic of the flows have ceased alt''•■.ret her nml in the aggregate, they; are < : '-i '--one per cent, less than twelvej month* ;.j.>. In no ease is anything l carried out in suspension, so there isj no fear that the crevices are enlarging, j

The Minister states lie has perused j all the correspondence in criticism ofj tne structure and the Department’s! answers,, and has also inspected every j portion Of the structure, and lie has; been interviewed by Mr Holmes, who; Imd failed to convince him that hist criticism and accusations were justified.. He has had -consultations with Mr A. Whitley, the 'representative of Sir W ■ ( G. Armstrong.'Whiteworth and Coy. Ld., who assures- him the foundations of the dam are entirely satisfactory. ;