"NOTHING TO HIDE"

Daily Telegraph (Napier), Volume 58, Issue 222, 21 October 1929, Page 5

"NOTHING TO HIDE"

Special to Telegraph.

POSITIOX AT ARAPUNI. CONFIDENCE IN ENGINEERS. INSPECTION BY POWER BOARD.

AUCKLAND, This day. The Piiblic Works Denartmcnt has tiothing t-o hide so far as the Arapuni hydro-electric scheine is concemed, and has the task of remedying 'erosiou below Ihe spillwav well in hand. This impression was gaiucd bv members of the Waitemata Electric Power Board when they paid a visit to Arapuni, and were couducted oveiT ti 1 works by the engineer in charge Rahone, and the district electrical engineer at- Hamilton of the Publii Works Department, Mr T. MacLonnan. "Mr MacLennan assured us that the department had notliing wliatever 'to hide, aud was p leased to show any interested partv over the scheine," said Mr J. W. Havden, chairman of the bonrd. "Tlie whole trouble at Arapuni. of f.ourse, was caused through Ihe delny in the erection of fhe powerhouse and the diverting of ihe water over the spillwav. If the powerbousc had been bni.lt ac-cording to sehedule. it is quite evident that the crosion at the falls would never have oceurred. as the water would have been used at that source. "Other members and T conld not help but be strtick by the seriousness of the erosion that has taken place. Rinee our last visit to Arapuna eight chains have heen eaten away, whicli leaves seventeen chains betiveen the falls and the spillwav. However. no erosion hastaken plaee within the past two montlis. , Tests are made at the falls every two hours, and a watchful eye is being kept 011 tbe matter. MAIN POINT OF INTEREST. ' "The main point of interest to tlie hoard vas the fact that by tlie end of February additional penstock _ tunnels will be put in use at Arapuni," saicl Mr Havden. "Two of these. will he emploved simplv to convey water from the race into the old river lied. The penstocks will he oapable of taking -9000 ousecs of water, whereas the natural floiv of the Waikato is only S000 eusecs. "When the ' water is tlius diverted the department will be in tbe happv position of preventing any water going over the spillivay, and still have the diversion tunnel as a seeondary stapdby in case of h'eavy flooding. The salient feature of tlie work is that, providing th.£re is no erosion between now and February. there is nothing to be alarmed at at all. "Anotlier factor to be considered is that a long solid slielf is tlirowing the water at the falls forward, and -further uiiderinining of the river bed is not expected. Previouslv the water at the falls fell on a soft bed and undermined tlie liarder strata above. After wliat we have seen, we liave confidenoe in i he Public Works engineers. Sinoe the last generating set was started at Arapuni a- montli ago, the flow over the falls has diminished by from 21 1 6in to 3ftV