Timaru Expects Benefits From Benmore Project

Press, Volume XCVII, Issue 28672, 23 August 1958, Page 4

Timaru Expects Benefits From Benmore Project

(From Our Own Reporter)

TIMARU, August 22. The new Timaru wharf will be strengthened to the specifications of the State Hydro-electric Department, at its cost, to take heavy machinery that will be transported either by rail or road for use at Benmore. , This is one of the many signs that Timaru ’and other parts of South Canterbury have an awareness of the benefits to be derived from the Benmore project The consensus here is that as it is mostly South Canterbury water that will be harnessed, the district is entitled to a fair share of the trade.

The secretary of the Timaru Harbour Board (Mr N. de V. Lawrence) said that eventually heavy units of machinery would be required on the entire Waitaki river.

Had the Otematata village been sited on the South Canterbury side of the Waitaki river, centres

such as Waimate would have benefited to a greater extent than at present. Areas are zoned for the supply of butter and this will come from the Dunedin supply. If it is proved economical, bacon, hams, and smallgoods may be supplied from Timaru. Milk is supplied by Oamaru. Meat is being supplied from Pareora.

Bread Supply Bakeries in Timaru are interested in the village which, even in its embryonic stage, would require about 250 loaves of bread a week. The population is estimated to total more than 500 at the end of the month, so that a planned population of 5000 or more would need 2000 loaves of bread weekly. V

Merchants in Kurow are supplying the villagers with wood and coal.

It is reasonable to expect that South Canterbury transport operators will reap some benefits from the cartage of heavy machinery and goods, but it is difficult for haulage contractors to gauge to what extent Timaru will benefit. One oil company has a Government contract for the South Island for diesel fuel and power kerosene. This will be supplied from Oamaru, while another oil company, which has built a service station at Otematata, will supply motor spirits from Oamaru. Cement will be railed from Dunedin to Kurow.

There is every indication that goods shipped from New Zealand ports will be landed at Oamaru, but direct shipments from overseas will show an increase at Timaru.

Sugar will come from the North Island, but tinned goods from Australia will come through Timaru. Dunedin and Oamaru contractors rely on these centres for supplies of hardware, but local agents may be called upon to supply these materials. The South Canterbury Chamber of Commerce and other organisations are interested in arranging for a representative group to explore the possibilities at Benmore.

Timaru is on the theshold of carnival time, and local organisations have schemes to make Timaru a “Riviera of the South” for visitors during the Christmas and New Year holidays, and the start of the centennial celebrations.

While the opinion is growing that South Canterbury will obtain only the “pickings” of the bounty from Otematata, everyone is convinced that efforts to attract the hydro-electric workers and their families to Timaru for their relaxation will pay dividends.