HARNESSING THE WAIMAKARIRI.

Press, Volume LVIII, Issue 10882, 5 February 1901, Page 3

HARNESSING THE WAIMAKARIRI.

TO THE EDITOR OF THE PIU-SS. Sir, —Would you give mc space to answer Mr Roper's letter in ycur,* ; ssue of Friday last, in which he says, "Mayy people, whose opinions are entitled to consideration, confidently assert that we shall never do so (obtain power from the Waimakariri), because there is not in any one locality sufficient fall of water to drive the necessary machinery." Such is the case. In this Mr Roper reminds one of the Yankee going up the Clyde with a friend, and comparing its insignifiance with the American rivers. "Yes," said the Scotchman, "God Almighty made the American rivers, but the Scotchman made the Clyde." There is a place on the Waimakariii where it can bo tapped at a great deal less ccst, in proportion to the p_wer gained, than that of tapping the Niagara. The intake of the canal would be in the solid rock, extending a sufficient distance to allow of by-washes for keeping the head works free from shingle ar.d .silt, and which would be available for kaeping the channel free from silt. The ground from this place to the Gorge bridge is easily workable, arid, retentive a distance of tliTee'and a half miles (I am speaking from memory), where a fall of 140 feet could be obtained, with a fall of twelve inches to thc mile. The whole of tha available water of the river at its minimum flow could be taken along a channel of sufficient size. Ths site for the machinery and the foundation., of the turbines could be fixed on the solid rock.

In my opinion (and I have studied this river with the object of taking races from it for twenty' years), any race started from the Go?ge"bridge will entail an enormous expense for by-washes, without which tha channel will fill with silt as the present races constructed in this locality do.

In at the Reck ford the bottom of the channel would be above threeparts flood, with a solid rock bottom. At tlw bridge the same 'Conditions would obtain, but with a running shingle to contend with.

I am with _>__* Gray when he says it is not a question of twenty or thirty thousand pounds, but if the citizens of Christchurch can obtain a good seryice £100,000 is cheap, and make it the manufacturing city of New Zealand.—Yours, etc., JOHN DOBSON. Loburn, 3rd February, 1901.