WAITAKI POWER.

Press, Volume LXVIII, Issue 20523, 16 April 1932, Page 9

WAITAKI POWER.

RUMOURED SUSPENSION OP WORK. LETTER FROM MINISTER. A reply has been received from the Minister for Public Works (lit. Hon. J. G. Coates) to a letter addressed to him by tho Power "Vigilance Committoo of the Canterbury Chamber of Commerce and tho Canterbury Manufacturers' Association, regarding tho reported suspension of work on tho Waitaki power scheme. Tho text of tho committee's letter is as follows: '(Statements in the Press that it is proposed to stop Work on the Waituki hydro-electric works have , come to tho notice of tho Electricity Vigilance Committee of this Chamber and tho Canterbury Manulacturers' Association, and with a view to giving careful consideration to the problem in the li<jht of this Chamber's recognition of the difficulties of Government finance at the present time, I am directed to ask if you can place at the disposal of tho committee the following information:— '' 1. Tho total cost of tho works to date. "2. Estimated cost of completion. "3. Estimated cost of completing the dan\ only, across the full width of the river to a height that will ensure a solid foundation for the completion of the dam so that such final work could he carried out in any season without delay and so that such foundation pertion of the dam will bo invulnerable to flood damage." Minister's Reply. The following is tho text of the Minister's reply, which is dated April 13th: Replying to your questions with regard to the Wnitaki hydro-electric works, I have to advise that the figures in connexion with the questions asked by you are roughly ns follow;: 1. £1,400,000. 2. £2,300,000. I). £350,000. The second figure is dependent lo a considerable degree on the I'umiW available to the Government, and consequently the rate at which it will be possible to carry on the works. The answer to No. 3 is difficult to estimate with any degree of exactitude, as until such time as the eoff.ir dam has been driven and the site inwate:vd it is impossible to say what difficulties will be encountered, and what amount of excavation, and consequently of concrete, will be required. If the -works cannot be carried uninterruptedly to completion in accordance with the original programme for financial reasons, it can be by no moans taken as certain that the tentative programme evidently in the mind of vour Chamber is the correct one to follow. As von will see from the fi«»iir»s, " r would involve r money being nvailaMe for Waitaki than is available for all the hydro-electric undertakings ix» the Dominion.