THE BIG SCHEME.

Putaruru Press, Volume II, Issue 17, 7 February 1924, Page 2

THE BIG SCHEME.

ARAPUNI ACTIVITY. Ro;k1 and Bridges. t Over 100 Men Engaged. J i “ A hive of industry ’* can now be < justly applied to the work in hand ' for the installation of the great Ara > puni hydro-electrical scheme, and a trip from Putaruru out over the various scenes of activity revealing 1 many gangs busily engaged in the preliminary and allied work preparatorv to the letting' of contracts for the actual scheme .itself. = FIRST 25 mi.ES. - At Putaruru th> activity is first ' noticed, Messrs. Hart and Brown being busily engaged with three motor trucks in completing their contract for metalling the first 25 miles ol the Putaruru access road, while also two other trucks, belonging to Mr. M. Henderson, and a tractor with trailer waggon, owned by Messrs. Patterson Bros., are often to be seen carting out materia!, ere., required for the works. Traversing- the load it is seen that Messrs. Hart and Brown have now only a stretch of about half-a-mile to cover to complete the metalling of the first 2.5 miles with six inches of the blue King Country liver metal they are putting on, and which, where already consolidated, makes an excellent road. Inquiry elicits the information that they have to go over the whole length again to spread a further coating of some, two or three inches of this metal.

TO THE WAIPA. At the end of the 21 miles the traveller comes upon Mr. M. Henderson’s gangs with motor trucks making rapid progress in putting n heavy coating of local sand or gravel on a further three miles, this being preparatory to the metalling. A little way along on this sand a small wooden culvert is crossed, and here materials on the side of the road indicate that this is to be replaced with an 'infinitely stronger structure. This is the first new bridge that the heavy Arapuni traffic will necessitate, but it will be a. comparatively small one, being only about 20 feet in length. It is locally known as Worth’s bridge. About another half-mile or so brings one to the Fokaiwhenua stream, where alongside the county bridge are the concrete foundations for the much stronger new bridge that is to replace this, too. These . foundations were put in last week, and there is* handy another stack of iron girders and big- baulks of hardwood for the upper .structure. Travelling still on the original Toad to Arapu’nii, but now along- the bank of the Pokaivhenua at the foot of Pearson’s hill, the parti tg of the ways appears, the original road turning up over the hill or, a heavy grade, and down onto the Pukoturua plain beyond, while the new direct road to Arapuni branches off and on an almost level grade, following the creek still, finds its way through a big cutting around a bluff out onto the same plain. A short distance further and it reaches the Waipa stream. This is about five miles from Putaruru and marks the end of the sanding- contract re-, ferred to. At the Waipa a big- bridge, about 75 feet in length is being constructed, the under work of which is well forward. Here a fairly largo bridge-building gang is camped. METALLING SERVICE. Further progress along the new road by vehicular traffic is now barred until the completion of the bridge, but beyond is heard the puffing of a traction fngine, which with specially designed trailers is working continuously day an<l night metalling- the continuation of the new road. This, of course, involves three shifts of workers. The metal is being- obtained from what is virtually the l-iverbank, and was once the river bottom, the pit being located over a quarter of amile from the Arapuni road and down a steep grade on the old Cambridge road from the flat above to the river side below. Here by stripping off the top earth to a couple of feet in depth the g-i-avel is reached and big inroads into it have already been made, for besides the tractor plant some fourteen three and four-horse teams with drays, supplied by Mr. Henderson, are engaged in carting it onto the road, they working in the opposite direction \to the tractor, having- continued the metalling- practically to the Arapuni village. The metal is of a light colour, quite different, from the blue metal obtained from the King Country, but where it has been set by traffic gives quite a solid-looking- surface. In the pit it contains big boulders, mostly of inferior quality, but some of good hard stone, and these are being piled up at the sides of the pit for posI sible future use for road foundation or other purposes.

At the. quarry is a fairly big- camp . and about a quarter of n-inilc further Up is- f,hd drivers’ camp, while one or two odd hutments accommo- j jute timekeepers. THE ARAPUNI VILLAGE. j The next camp is about another | quarter oi a-mile further along on the Arapuni road, where it crosses ! the. Huiluiitaha stream. Here the , final bridge, about bO loot in long-til, , is bring built, but a detour gives a crossing of the creek meanwhileVor vehicular traffic. Further bridge workers have their canvass dwellings hero, while also Messrs. Rennie Bros., who are now completing their contract of forming- the last 2J miles of the road to the dam site, are also located at this spot, stiff maintaining the excellent grade chat is observed throughout the road leads from the Huihuitaha along past the site of (he permanent village at Arapuni. Here a total of some sixteen residences, besides hostel, post office, etc., is to bo erected. At present the original house, a till looking spick and span in its newness and occupied by the. engineer-in-chargo of the work (Mr. T. Raboue), is no longer in isolation, for three other houses anti a set of offices are being * erected nearby by Mr. Peate, of Tc Avvamulu, for the Department. This contractor has had a gang on this work now for about five or six weeks, and already has the weather boarding and roofs on two of 1-ie houses, while the frame work of the other and the set of offices are also erected. He hopes to complete all four buildings within another two months, and to all appearances they will be an admirable type of residence. A circular side road is to he formed through the village, and the houses will face this—not the main road.

Opposite the village site the power line from Horahora, crosses to the other side of the river, which is to be the power house side, but further up it now re-crosses to the original | side and is being* continued right to the dam site. AT THE ORIGINAL CAMP. The final camp is the original Arapuni camp, namely, the one at the clam site. Here the office stall* and sundry gangs are located, making* in all a considerable number of hands. One of these'gangs is engaged in extending the power line, another on building* a bridge across the old river bed on the opposite side of the gorge, etc. From here considerable activity across the river is noticeable in the form of the construction of the approach to the low-level bridge that is to be erected across the present course of the Waikato river at the power house site. This bridge will primarily be to -give access from one side of the river to the other in connection with the works, but also it is to bo available for public traffic by permission of the Public Works Department. The approach now being constructed on. the far side appears to follow a very easy grade, cut out of the face of the river bluff, it i.- thus fairly long*, but not steep, and the other bridge being erected over the old river bed at the top of the gorge on that side will give it through connection to Tc Awamutu. OVER 100 MEN ENGAGED. Altogether, the number of men engaged in the district on these preliminary works lias reached the 100 mark and is steadily increasing. OPENING NEW ROAD. The opening* of the new access road from Putaruru now only awaits the completion of the Waipa and Huihuitaha bridges, for which some material has yet to be received from Australia. On its arrival their completion will take but a very short while and the indications are that by then most, if not the whole of the road, will have received its first coating in the form of metal and sand, making it a good road both in winter and summer for ordinary traffic. For the heavy traffic to Arapuni when the works are in full swing it is to have a super-coat of broken metal from the Mako creek quarry, which is located some miles up the stream from Arapuni. This coating* is to be put on by the contractor for the headworks and is to be well rolled. TOTAL OF 1000 MEN PROBABLE. Apropos of the fact that the traction engine and plant is now working* three shifts each day, it is suggested that probably the contractors for the big scheme will have to follow this example to complete the contracts within the specified time. This would mean continuous working* day and night, the three shifts comprising* in all a total of at least 1000 men, that is, about 330 per shift.