MANGAHAO WORKS.

Shannon News, 11 November 1921, Page 3

MANGAHAO WORKS.

SATISFACTORY PROGRESS. DELAY IN CONSUMING DISTRICTS. Congratulations to the Department : of Public Works and the engineering staff on The steady advance made in the hydro-electric works at Mangahao are expressed in a report by Mr E. H. j Crabb, president of the Mangahao ! Hydro-electric Power League, to that ! body. The report, which refers to a | visit paid to the works by Mr Crabb | and Mr A. Harris, chairman of the ! Wanganui Provincial Power Board I Committee, and member of the league’s executive, says: “We consider the development of the works is quite | up to schedule, and fully bears out the Minister’s statement that the undertaking .will be completed and, the power available by the end of 192,3. As far as engineering difficulties are concerned, we are assured Chat unless happens this will be accomplished. This we feel certain will be satisfactory to the league, more especially in view of rumours that have , been circulated that unexpected difficulties would seriously retard the da.tq of completion.’ At present, Mr Crabb writes, the labour force employed is approximately 250. As most of the preliminary works are finished and work on. dams is now in full swing, this is sufficient to fully man the w'orks.. The housing of the staff is completed* and all the labour is accommodated: in a comfortable manner. Up to 30th September the Mangahao tunnel at the upper end was in 63fi feet, at the lower end Thfe Tokomaru-Shannon tunnel 'is in 117*) feet a/ the Tokomaru end, \Vhile an adit of 134 feet harl been driven i n ; the centre of the tunnel. A total of 2600 feet of tunnelling had been fin- j isbed out of a total of 12.000 feet. { ‘Power to drive the compressors is f now supplied to all the headings from jj the power house at Shannon. The ■ country driven through by the Man- | gahao tunnel is now solid rock, suit- ! able for crushing for coqprete work, j The Tokomaru Valley is, however, apparently in a crushed zone, and the: j sjmil from this tunnel until quite re- J centlv was of too rotten a nature to j be of any use. The solid rock is now i being met. with, and the stone can be j used for concrete work. : The dams have not yet been actu- ! ally started, although all preliminary work has been done. Crushers are erectecl in the Tokomaru Valley, rock crushing for the tunnel lining has commenced, and the actual work of lining the Arapeti tunnel is proceeding. The foundations of the lManga-_ hao dam having to go much deeper than was anticipated, an alteration in design was necessary. The founda-' tions of the Tokomaru /lam have alsogiven cause for trouble. The rock, on close examination, has not prove,d so solid as was expected, and will necessitate deeper foundations., but in.' neither instance will the completion of the work be delayed. I Excavation for the power house site ! is nearly completed. A tram line has been constructed * from the powcjr house site to the surge chamber 900 feet above,'and is worked by a motor at the surge chamber site. The gradients for the pipe line are. completed, and tenders for supply of pipes have been called. The excavation of the surge chamber is now under way. A final survey of the route for the transmission line to Wellington will shortly be completed. Large- quantities of poles have arrived, and are stored at convenient points. Steps are being taken to get these carted to the lines as soon as the surveys have definitely fixed the routes.

We desire to express our regret at the slow progress being made by tbe districts' interested in commencing their work of reticulation. This refers especially to the country districts concerned. If the Avork is to be done in time to take, advantage of the power offered it will be ; at the cost of undue competition for labour and materials, which might Jiave been avoided bad the work been commenced earlier."