“ANTIQUATED METHOD?

Sun (Auckland), Volume I, Issue 226, 13 December 1927, Page 8

“ANTIQUATED METHOD?

PUBLIC WORKS SEVERFJv CRITICISED WESTFIELD AND TAWA Flw TUNNELS Frees Association. WELLINGTON, To4 tt IN English civil engineer „ "a P a'* e ? Welling? who has had exper ence all 7A the world in tunneling, strong condemns the methods of Public Works Department ' antiquated and costly. The B jected Tawa Flat tunnel, he ~2" IS going to cost three times . much as it should. as He quotes the Westfield tuan.i the Auckland deviation as a cas 011 point that had taken two vea~ * build, though only 29 chains in ] ea?t^ At the same rate, he says th Tawa Flat works would occupy 17 years. 7 ' He advises the Government to send someone abroad to | e ,“ how tunnels are now built. " The antiquated methods at Wmi field, he said, are being apnlied . Tawa Flat, and engineers are zoi? on lines long superseded, under no sane contractor would take on job. One engineer was copyia! another s ideas regardless of wh.it they applied or not. “The average rate of tunnellm. nowadays is 75 feet per week even that is a moderate estimate at Tawa Flat it will onlv be so’w per month,” he continues. “The whole system of tunnellis. the design, and the wav work is „ ried out are ridiculous and absurdThis expert condemnation folio—on grave doubts raised by the lord engineers as to the propriety of th. route selected. It is contended th* a grade of 1 in 100 is preposterom when a much flatter grade could easih be secured. The official reply to thk was regarded as far from satisfa, tory. Now the department has to face a still graver charge. ™