Concern At Rise In Capital Works Cost

Press, Volume CVII, Issue 31549, 11 December 1967, Page 24

Concern At Rise In Capital Works Cost

(Neu) Zealand Press Association) HAMILTON, December 10.

The Government was concerned about the cost of its capital works and particularly about the increase in costs, the Minister of Works (Mr Allen) said at the week-end.

The Minister was opening the Motukaraka swamp flood protect.cn and reclamation scheme pumping station near Mercer, 40 miles north of Hamilton.

He said that although the scheme was simple and straightforward in conception, there had been a substantial increase in the cost of the work over the original estimates on which the Government approved the scheme in principle. “A lot of early estimates for jobs such as these, estimates on which approval in principle must be given, are no more than intelligent guesses,” he said. “Frequently, not enough attention has been paid to the factors which will force costs to rise as a project proceeds. “An allowance for a rise

of costs is now being built in for most of our jobs and it seems that this could have been done here.” BIG SWAMP SCHEME In the scheme a total catchment of: over 9000 acres will

be drained and 4000 acres of swamp will be turned into highly productive farm land. The scheme will also reduce the threat of flooding in the lower Waikato River valley. Since construction work started in March, 1965 the Frankton County Council has built 3850 feet of stopbanks along the Waikato River to stop it flooding into the swamp, and a further 2000 feet of stopbanks on soft swamp. It has widened the Kopuera Stream for 18,000 feet, provided 58,000 feet of main drains and moved a total of 484,000 cubic yards of earth. The scheme is expected to be completed next May.