PREPARATIONS AT MERCER

Press, Volume XCVII, Issue 28523, 28 February 1958, Page 8

PREPARATIONS AT MERCER

Gear Shifted At Power Project

(New Zealand Press Association) AUCKLAND, Feb. 27.

The Waikato river and the Whangamarino Long swamp are expected to merge across the Main South road between Mercer and the power site at Meremere at 9 o’clock tomorrow morning. By tomorrow night, Mercer itself and the main road for two miles north and six miles south are expected to be under water in most places, and the river is expected to encroach on the lower part of the £l6 million power site. This could virtually isolate the 1500 people living on the site. Engineers at the power site, however, are “not too worried.” Any delay on the project will depend on how long the flood waters remain, and how long it takes to clean up the mess when they recede. Mr A. J. Learmont, resident engineer for the Ministry of Works, today said: “We shall do as we did at Roxburgh.” Mr Learmont was chief Ministry of Works engineer at Roxburgh. “We shall dispense with the frills and we’ll push the power out somehow. At Roxburgh, we generated power six months ahead of schedule working like that.” “But a delay of even a day takes a lot of catching up,” said Mr N. J. Lory, generation engineer for the State Hydro-elec-tric Department. “We shall have to dispense with some jobs until the mess is finally cleared up, but we’ll be able to carry on with others.” Today electrical gear, timber, and moveable huts were shifted to higher ground from danger areas round the site. Railway rolling stock was unloaded and the last of the rolling stock—a train, a quarter of a mile long, left Mercer at 8 o’clock tonight. Other equipment still lying on lower ground round the power station will be shifted when necessary—on to the streets round Meremere village probably, but anywhere where it is dry. A full day’s work was carried out by the men on the site after everyone had returned to work following labour disputes.