WORK SUSPENDED

Evening Post, Volume CXXIII, Issue 117, 19 May 1937, Page 8

WORK SUSPENDED

THE., HOMER TUNNEL

MEN WITHDRAWN FOR WINTER

(By Telegraph—Press Association.) INVERCARGILL, May 18

Work at the Homer Tunnel has been abandoned for the:winter. A considerable number,of men have already been withdrawn from the Homer camp, and it is expected that the remainder will be transferred to other work within two or three weeks. The authorities are not at present in a position to state when work will be resumed, but it is certain that the construction of the tunnel will not be proceeded with again until all danger of avalanches at the mouth of the tunnel has passed. This will depend entirely on the severity of the'winter and the mildness of the spring.

The district engineer of the Public Works Department, Mr. W. G. Pearce,said today that a number of men had already been transferred to Manuka Gorge, near Milton, the number of men employed on the Homer-McKerrow section of the Hollyford Valley, road had :been increased, and other men were being employed on road ' improvement Wofk between,Te Anau and, the Key. Within two or three weeks the remaining meh at the Homer camp would be i transferred to the Dipton-Caroline Road.

Mr. Pearce said that plant had been withdrawn from the tunnel, and for the winter there would be no control over seepage of water in the tunnel, which would be allowed to fill. The date of resumption of work was indefinite and would depend entirely on how soon after the winter snow likely to cause' avalanches cleared from the heights above the mouth of the tunnel. The period during which work had to cease would naturally slow up the work of driving the tunnel.

At the Milford end of the road 120 or 130 men were employed on road construction, and the first five miles of that section of the work was proceeding satisfactorily. About three miles of the road on that section had been completed, and the total length to complete the roaji to the western portion of the tunnel was about eleven miles.