STHE ARAPUNI SCHEME

Matamata Record, Volume III, Issue 153, 9 October 1919, Page 3

STHE ARAPUNI SCHEME

I Putamiiui Concerned f The sympathy of the Hamilton I Chamber of Commerce with the I aims' of the Putaruru District | Development Board in ensuring I Government action in proceeding I with the Arapuni hydro-electric I scheme was assured at a meeting held in Hamilton on Tuesday. 1 Mr E. J. Darby, of Putaruru, ad1, dressing the chamber, said a re- ' port would shortly come before Parliament on the preliminary work atArapuni. To his knowthe work that report m wtfUKr be satisfactory. There was nothing physical against the completion of the scheme. It was simple, but it was huge, and the v work must be carried out as a - *whole. The construction of the dam would entail the expenditure of several millions. Before ex-

I pending such a huge sum the would require a guarantee that people would require sufficient horse-power to warrant the expenditure. Mr. Darby argued in favour of the supply from Horahora being confined to the Waikato, so that people from Auckland and elsewhere would agitate for the pushing on of the larger scheme. , There was a danger of the whole matter being shelved unless the . people impressed upon the Government the necessity of taking action. The railway from Puta- > ruru to To Awamutu was essential if this scheme were gone on with in view of the heavy machinery required for the works. Mr Darby said that if sufficient agitatibn were made the danger of the Arapuni scheme being shelved would be removed. Sufficient guarantees would be obtained, and there was nothing to prevent the scheme going straight ahead and being completed under five years. The speaker said the magnitude of Arapuni was second to nothing in the world except Niagara. The Arapuni supply would be sufficient for the whole of the Auckland and Taranaki provinces which depended upon it. Every effort should be made, said Mr Darby, to excite the interest of the people . in this matter, and the towns and districts should be canvassed to this end. Mr Darby was assured by the Chamber that everything would be done as ho had suggested.