IMPORTANT ENTERPRISE

Hokitika Guardian, 2 October 1930, Page 3

IMPORTANT ENTERPRISE

LARGE MINING UNDERTAKING. $ Despite the talk of quiet trines, and frequent .on the state of depression, faith in the mining poxsobiliti'es of the district is responsible for a very important enterprise adjacent to Hokitika. The of the Rium Gold Dredge has prompted tlio,.Company to seek more power, and to ’-meet thcUdemand, the :'.Kariiqri Electric Ltd. has set out to supply it. At present, taking its water from i ffake Kanieri - by; a water race of oils chains to Kanieri Forks, the present, power plant develops 800 h.p. This being inadequate for prospective requirement when the enlarged gold dredge at Rimii Flat is in operation in, the new year, a .No 2 power . is to be installed at McKay’s Creek. This plant will have a capacity of 1,800 h.p. It is in oounocitimn with. the estnhishmont of this plant that the present operations are in hand.

Briefly, the scheme is to place a concrete dam and spillway across Kanieri river below the junction of I Butcher’s .Creek, and from that point lift-Tlie ’Wilier “by frijaep The race Which will have a total length of 182 , chains,.--.will cross Coal Creek and the iiLrikdriKp-meri road, and thence round the sidling 'to cross the Right Hand Branch of the Kanieri. l'ivei, and by :, tfutting ,-sflunii ng, a i id I.ni»iffjr {Sp'' tlic sri^goytank ovei looking the site of the power plant. At. tlio new power site a large aritdiint of work • has been done in protecting -.the : emplacement,, job tin* buildings. The river [has ! e<h. straightened, and its south bank fortified" behind which the hillside has been cleared to prepare for the main plant. This lias entailed a consider-' able amount of work, but the levelling is now well in hand, and it will i'sooh' be possible to consider the preparations for the foundation. Another work in hand is the uon'Stijctiini :of the tunnel, some 1250 S Fect in' length. This is to carry the water clear of the south Lank o' the Kanieri river which is too preipi- - tons to build on, - through to the adjacent valley, and thence brought round to the point of delivery. This 0? a?branch .of the prepar ( itpcy ; -work 'also being: well ■advanced,' oyer 500 feet f'briing driven already. - ¥ .The fluming* across..-.the.Eight;,)land Branch is another considerable- undertaking. The Height is coir iderable, and of the required strength to. -SujopoiK the ■arriieo steel pijli ng enrdrying' ‘tlic-h water. Tibs- also, -is yheinu - f-airiried avell forward:, sinful banco :slv with the other :jobs, so there should not Ibe any serious delays. Beyond the flnming is a cotr i ler-..able-length of open race which is being cut hv mechanical power, the caterpillar digger operating over this section,,-..«The Clarke, Construction • has the . contract for this AvoYff in ‘h'and, “rfid" the 4 first stage of • the open race is now well forward. There is a good deal of work, irvo.lvedi,ln-; thi.s. largo cutting,, fpr. the race will he of considerable dimensions to cany tho water proposed. By com'parisoii’j ''’it 'ririay ‘ be "explaiiied '' that while the existing Lake water race carries 50 cusec, the new race is to ’ carry’.,lGs' cusec.' "The.“waterls to have” Li. j.liead pi' 110 feet at . the - (J-al Tery •-point; and -Will' give the power indicated above.

These works do not exhaust the full, proposals, for it is proposed, also, tg. put in a No. 3 power plant a hove ■•the/proposed diversion dam at B'.Rch-'er’si-Xpreek. This plant will have a capacity of 400 horse power and it is interesting to note that the - water used foi power will he so discharged as to be conducted into the new main race and assist in tlve supply of water again for the No. 2 plant. This plant also will be more particularly used as a hydro-electric stand-lby, and will alone be of sufficient capacity to furnish the town of Hokitika with .twice -tho electric energy now- used here. . /. ■ . h/ ..

The foregoing outline, of the works gives some indication of the scope of thef dnthrprise, iind .sljbuld assist - in creating confidence as to the future of the district.' :S« . large." aii expenditure as is involved- would hardly- be undertaken were. it.. nhfc: .foi-; assured .-results ■■ahcadi and to obtain .-thoseresults considerable employment must ho provided. Of late, with all the works, referred to in hand, fully ninety, men haye been on the monthly pay roll, which is an indication of wage value of the enterprise to the -district. With the early "building of the dredge more men will be em-ployed,;-and a large amount of material, particularly timber, used. Alftogpther the enterprise is one which should give the community every satisfaction and the I vest wishes must go ..oujfc., for its flourishing (success as a result of the enterprise • manifested.