BRAEBURN HYDRO SCHEME

Press, Volume XCI, Issue 27593, 25 February 1955, Page 2

BRAEBURN HYDRO SCHEME

VIEWS OF MR E. R. NEALE “ COLOSSAL MISTAKE ” ALLEGED (From Our Own Reporter) ... . ' , NELSON, February 24. A colossal mistake has apparently been made, either with the old or the new estimate of the cost of complet..e eb H rI L hydro-electric said Cr. E. R. Neale, M.P.. at nn««^ ht rr meetmg Of^ e Nelson City Council. He was speaking during discussion of a motion that the council protest to the Minister of Works (Mr w. Goosman), at the apparent willingness of the Government to change its policy regarding Braeburn. B Or. Neale said there had been a certam amount of loose talk regarding the Minister’s announcement. A Minister did not prepare the estimates for a project such as Braeburn. but relied on his engineering advisers to do ™ ls I. n the . BP BO6 of about eight months the estimate for the Braeburn scheme had been changed by somethmg like £2,300,000 added Mr Neale. Any Government relied on figures supplied by its experts, but apparently a. colossal mistake had been miade somewhere He was at present trying to & tl ? e , bottom of the question. In Mr Neales view it was one of the worst mistakes that had apparently been made by Ministry of works enfi? eer T S \ n memory. The Mayor (Mr J. A. Harley)—l understand the figures for tunnel work at Braeburn have new been based on the fantastic figure charged for similar work on the Rimutaka tunnel. This is why the original estimate is out of line. “If the engineers made the mistake, then change the engineers,” said Cr S. A. Whitehead. “If they are not wrong, then change the Government.” On the motion of Mr Harley, seconded by Cr. Whitehead, the council decided to protest to the Minister.