MANGAHAO HYDRO-ELECTRIC POWER LEAGUE.

Otaki Mail, Volume XXVIII, 3 November 1920, Page 3

MANGAHAO HYDRO-ELEC-TRIC POWER LEAGUE.

progress report. Tlie following report lias been issuei. by the above League: — Some time has elapsed since the las', report on the progress at Atangahao and on 23rd October a visit to the works was made for the express pur pose of ascertaining the position oi affairs. Labour. —We found a sufficient sup ply of labour was available, and tin works arc fully manned for the pre sent, about. 170 men* being now cm ployed. These are well accommodated, very few being in ordinary tents, th( great majority living in wooden hutor tents with wooden floors and board ed sides. Fireplaces are provided ii> each hut or tent. A number of per manent cottages for married men have been erected, ami generally speaking the accommodation for those employe* has been greatly improved, and is nov, quite satisfactory. Permanent quarters for the engineering stuff liavbeen erected on the terrace adjoining the power house site, and large headquarter offices have also been built til the same place. A township tya.s been laid out here, with plans for proper drainage, etc.

Labour, as has been said, is avail able in sufficient numbers to meet pre sent needs, except carpenters, who an needed for building operations. Tbmen generally seem quite satisfied, am rates of remuneration for both con tract and day labour appear satisfar tory.

Progress of Work. —The whole un dertaking naturally divides into three sections —the power house site at, tli* Shannon end; work in the Tokomaru Valley; work in the Mangahao Valley.

Shannon End —The temporary power house is erected and sites for machinery in place. The big Eabcock boiler of 363 b.p. is now erected, and brick iug-in of same will soon bo complete.

The engine is on the site and parti, erected. Pipes for air compression lin arc on the site. Benching for the pipe

from the surge chamber to the power house is in process of excavation, am! a large amount of the work' is done. Preparation is well advanced to enable tunnel piercing to be started ns soon as the necessary electrical generators are to hand. These have been ordered now for many months, and should bo on the way from England. Poles for the transmission line to the Tokomaru Valley are being placed cm the ground. A workshop fully equipped with lathe, planing machine, etc., etc., has also built, and the machinery is in place. Providing there is no undue delay in the* arrival of generator, etc., the work should proceed very satisfactorily. Tokomaru Valley.- -The dam site is cleared and ready for starting work on as soon as the necessary stone for aggregate is available far the tunnels. Site for entsher is prepared. Tram ways from tunnel headings to crusher site and spoil deposit are complete, and everything prepared for commencing tunnel works. It is understood it is the engineer's intention to start- the tunnel works by hand, so as to prevent delay white waiting for electric, power for working air compressors for driving the drills. Mangahao Valley. .Tig tramway from the end of the road to the valley is now complete. This has a total fall of 4f>o feet, with a grade of approximately 1 in 2. It has already proved its usefulness by enabling the machinery for the small power house to be lowered to the power house site without the delay which would be necessary by the construction of the road to the bottom of the valley. All the machinery, including a boiler of seven tons weight, is on the site, and every thing should be ready tor a start in piercing the tunnel before the end of the year. This tunnel, being one mile in length, is the key to the whole construction works, and will probably decide the time taken to complete the* scheme.

The sawmill is now in good working order and has a daily output of four to five thousand feet. This is a great convenience to the works, practically assuring the engineers against delayin supply of this most important raw material.

Ii may now be said that all the preliminary works necessary for the cat ry-ing out of the undertaking are practically- completed, and the actual work of construction is now in hand. The weather has been very adverse during the last few months, but in spite of that steady progress has been made, and we feel sure that if the works are not completed within the time originally specified it will not be the fault of the staff.

Your committee would like to say a word in praise of the excellent workdone by the Y.M.C.A. and their excellent secretary. Mr Morton. A picture theatre and recreation hall has been erected in the Tokomaru I alley, and a programme is given twice a week. A library for the use of the men ha also been started. Mr Morton really requires some means of locomotion. The camps are approximately five miles apart, and it would be a great help to him if some better means were provided' to enable hint io move more easily from one c-amp to another. In.

providing some moans of yecreatififi M amusgmeat.io mw *£ ut off from

nil the customary relaxations of civilisation the Y.M.C.A. ore assisting in a Very valuable manner to the quicker completion of the work, and so a record of their activities is a part of your committee’s report. Your committee notes with pl§&yir»

the statement made by the Hon. J. G. Coates. Minister for Public Works, that, power from Waikaremoana wil! be available to supplement Mangahao within foil- veers, *nL oetng -0- '*

seems evident that the feaTs expressod in various districts that the power available will not be sufficient may be set aside. It is certain that it will take a few years to complete the. de-

mand to its peak load, even after !■

Mangahao is available, and under (ho circumstances the wisdom of seeking to develop supplementary hydro schemes seems somewhat doubtful. For it may be taken 3for granted that the eventual cost of electricity to the consumer will be governed by* the Government price for same as supplied to boards from their large hydroelectric developments, when tlio present financial demands of local budies for urgent development works, now overdue because of the war, and the difficulty local bodies are meeting in finding the means to satisfy those demands are taken into consideration, and when it is further considered that probably half a million or more will be required to meet the needs of reticulation over the Mangahao district, a further urgent reason is found for emphasising the need for caution in this matter.