D.—l.

Road access right into the site of the new work had been provided by the, construction of a suitable platform along the front of the existing power-house building. Reinforcing steel for the power-house building is arriving and is being bent in readiness for placing. Structural steel sections for the steel moveable scaffold are also coming to hand, and a commencement has been made on the assembly and fabrication. Crushed metal and sand for concrete purposes are being supplied under contract. A contract was let during the year for the erection, including water-supply and sewerage, of ten cottages for staff-accommodation purposes. These cottages are complete. The average number of men employed on this work apart from contractors' employees was 102. Waikaremoana Headworks and Lake-level Control. At Onepoto, the outlet to Lake Waikaremoana, work has started in connection with the control of lake-level, and of leakage or outflow from the lake as a preliminary to the next stage of development. An access road to Onepoto Bay has been constructed, and preparations are being made for the establishment of a camp there. An 11 kv. line was built from Tuai to supply power for the construction plant. Waitaki River Scheme. At the date of my last annual report, the construction of the dam was approaching completion, and all major items of concreting and construction of the power-house were also completed. Work done during the year just ended is summarized as follows : — Work of building the dam to crest-level was continued and finally completed on 21st August, 1934Removal of temporary trestling, and other construction gear at once followed. Simultaneously with this work, concreting proceeded of the apron on the Canterbury side of the wing dam between the power-house and the Otago abutment, and of further apron work for protection against scour at the toe of the dam, and was completed during September. In July, 1934, the river flow had fallen sufficiently to enable the work of closing the eleven temporary sluices through the dam structure to proceed. Each was to be closed by a gate at the up-stream end, under the protection of which the sluice could be concreted up. Eight of these were successfully closed in turn, filled with concrete, and finally sealed by grouting. At three of the sluices, however, the gates overran their positions and could not be restored under the pressures due to the large volume of water flowing. It was then decided to endeavour to seal these openings by placing mass filling against the face of the dam at these sluices. This has been largely successful in staunching the flow, and operations to dewater and seal the sluices are continuing during the present low winter stage of the river. The closing of the sluices involved the filling of the lake above the dam. The filling took two days, and the water then flowing over the crest, at once refilled the down-stream channel and the site of the tail-water excavation. The completion of excavation on the down-stream side of the dam was hastened during the early months of the year, and by the time of the formation of the lake on 28th September, 1934, this portion of the work was done. The following gives the total yardage of concrete in the dam and power-house and in the excavation for the whole works as at the end of September, 1934, when the work was complete : — Cubic Yards. Total excavation .. .. .. ■■ •• •• •• 737,108 Total concrete in dam, including wing dam.. .. .. .. 225,839 Total concrete in power-house and foundations .. .. .. 48,320 Total concrete in south retaining wall .. .. .. .. 1,482 At the power-house various finishing works were carried out during the year. A temporary floor was built over the pits that will later be occupied by future generating-units. Screen guides were grouted in, and screens placed in position for units Nos. 1 and 2. The draft-tube stop-logs were tried in all the draft-tubes. Miscellaneous joinery, timber-work, steel-work, and various items of equipment were fitted as required. Painting and decorative work was carried out over the power-house generally. The south retaining-wall was completed and lamps placed in position. Various finishing works were carried out at outdoor structures. Concrete garages and blacksmiths' shop at the south end of power-house were completed throughout. A non-climable fence was built round the outdoor station. A fish ladder was completed and water turned on so that it was available for last season's salmon run. Much cleaning up and disposal of plant work was required, and that is in hand. Considerable progress has been made. The filling of the lake enabled a test of the permanent sluices to be made, and also observations in the elaborate gallery-system for the watertightness of construction and expansion joints. These features were found to be quite satisfactory. The power-house was put on commercial load on the Ist January, 1935. The number of men employed at the beginning of the year was 702, and by the end of the year it had gradually diminished to 129.

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