OTIRA TUNNEL.

Press, Volume LIX, Issue 17707, 8 March 1923, Page 6

OTIRA TUNNEL.

THE OPENING CEREMONY. The opening of the Otira tunnel was brie'fly touched upon :it the meeting of tho executive of tho Canterbury Progress League last night by the president, Mr W. K. McAipine, who said that' the Emergency Committee had met that afternoon, and in tho absence of any information from the Government, it was thought that the Government should be asked for information as to what it iiuended to do, in the way of transportation, from Christchurch* and from tho \\ est- Coast and The Government, saul Air McAlpine, would more or less take charge of the function, and iis actual intentions were not yet known, it had therefore been decided to ask the Government For all possible information, on receiving which the Emergency Committee of the League could meet again, and make any arrangements that might be necessary. Harbour Board's Discussion. At yesterday's meet-ins of tho Lyttelton Hai'hour Board, Dr. Thacker said it- was fitting at the present time to bring up the matter of the celebration of the official opening of tho Otira tunnel. He thought that the Board should appoint delegates to a conference to be held in connexion with the opening ceremony. Captain Monro: Don't lose sight of tho fact that we should not make too much joy at the opening of the tunnel. We are going to lose a certain amount of revenue. _ The chairman-: Well, we will make it up in other ways. Dr. Thacker moved that the chairman and Mr 11. Galbraith bo appointed delegates, but subsequently withdrew the motion in favour of one proposed by Mr McAlpine and seconded by Mr Holland that' the chairman and Messrs R. Macartney and Blackley be appointed, wjiich was carried.

GOOD WORK AT OTIRA. PREPARING FOR THROUGH TRAFFIC. (SPECIAL 10 "the pbebs.") OTIKA, March 7. Prom appearances Otira looks just about ready to cope with the extra railway traffic that will be entailed by the opening of the tunnel. In addition to the erection of the power-house and all the electrical plant, which has been in the hands of the English Electrical Company, a vast amount of work has had to be undertaken by the Railway and Public Works Departments to allow of sufficient siding accommodation. The railway yard has had to be considerably extended. This portion of the' work c is just about completed, and the main line, which is now connected with the tunnel, is laid down in rails of 1001b weight per yard. This material is the heaviest used in New Zealand.

The work of erecting the new station is nearing completion, and. is of the island station type. Quite a largo undertaking was the erection of the subway. This extends out both sides from iho platform. The work was doue under trying conditions, owing to the .amount of ruin experienced, which made the excavations like a swamp, and pumps had to be continually in use. Passengers who havo been in the custom of having their lunch at Arthur's Pass will not be able to satisfy their hunger until Otira is reached, as' the refreshment rooms are being built at that station, and aro very nearly completed. In addition to the immense alteration works, Otira has been mado to look like a large town in the way of dwellings. A contract to build .42 houses for permanent workmen was let to Messrs Love Bros. These contractors have done splendid work, and deserve great praise for the manner in which they have carried out their contract, which will bo completed before schedule time. They worked uuder great difficulties, as thev not only had the wet weather conditions to contend with, but were unable to obtain the class of timber they required, and had to erect their own sawmill- at the works. Twelve of the houses are now occupied, and it is anticipated that the balance will be completed in about six weeks' time. These houses aro built in two rows, and a street is being formed between them. The usual custom when a number of houses are built as workers ' dwellings in one locality is to have them all the same shape and as much alike as possible. But not so at Otira, where each neighbour has a different class of dwelling. They all contain five rooms, and are provided with hot and cold water, bathrooms, electric light, sewer drainago, and washhouses, equal to the conveniences of city houses. Public Works men are hastening the work of laying drains and pipeline in connexion with the septic tank, which is 56ft long by lift b'in wide. These men aro experiencing difficulty owing to water, and a pump is in constant use, but tliey expect to complete the work in three weeks' time. MR EVAN PARRY TO ATTEND. LONDON, March 7. Mr Evan Parry, cuginecr-in-chief of the company which is responsible for the electrification of the Arthur's Pass section of the New Zealand Midland Railway, will sail in the Tainui on Match Bth to attend the official opening of tho Otira Tunnel. [Mr Parry was formerly chief electrical engineer to the .New Zealand Government, and was closely connected with the inception and development of the Lake Ooicridge Power Station.]