P.O. Aims To Beat Keas But Submit To Weather

Press, Volume CII, Issue 30275, 30 October 1963, Page 16

P.O. Aims To Beat Keas But Submit To Weather

(New Zealand Press Association)

INVERCARGILL, Oct. 28. Weather today prevented : men and drums of telephone cable from being taken to Deep Cove, but work is continuing on the public telephone construction begun at Lake Manapouris West Arm on Sunday. Work from the Deep Cove end will begin almost immediately the three men and five miles of cable are flown there. There are now four Post Office men laying the cable from the West Arm end. At Deep Cove there is already one Post Office man on board the Wanganella, and work would have begun at Deep Cove tomorrow but for the Wilmot Pass weather. Anxious to complete the unusually difficult job, the Deep Cove-bound men were, standing by today at Te Anau' for any float-plane tomorrow. The cable was ready to go

in by amphibian. The Poat Office district engineer, Mr B. B. Hands, said co-opera-tion from air service operators and contractors was outstanding.

When weather allows, it is hoped to drop 12 drums of cable at two points on the Wilmot Pass from the air and so minimise the difficulty of carrying them in on land. It will be difficult to lay the cable up from Deep Cove and particularly, on the eastern side of the pass, up the Daahwood to Middle hut.

In an effort to discourage keas from further attacks on the cables on radio masts at West Arm, it has been decided to wind a special plastic tape around the cables there. The tape will not be put on the telephone cable to the cove because, so tar, pecking by keas has been confined to cables on the masts to which the birds cling.