MANGAHAO

Feilding Star, Volume 2, Issue 135, 26 March 1924, Page 5

MANGAHAO

OFFICIAL VISIT YESTEBDAY. PROGRESS OF THE WORK. At the invitation of the ManawatuOroua "Fewer Board, members of the various local bodies within the Board's district, with one or two outside, the district, visited the Mangahao hydro-electro power works yesterday. The weather was gloriously fine, and the trip most- enjoyable. From Feilding, the following were included in the party: The Mayor, and C'rs J. E.-t-la'.-ltrop. A. H. Sutton, W. K Carfhew, 11. Stewart, W. W. Andrews. I). Pryde, and A. McCbrkindalc. Mr A. E. Wilson (town clerk) ami Mr G. Fitpatrick (secretary of the Chamber of Commerce). From tho Oroua County, C'rs T. Green. W. McLennan. and AY. Greenhow, in addition to C'rs J. H. Vincent and J. Morrison (members of the Power Board). The. visitors found that the COO men employed at the works at it with a will, making the most of tho good weather. At the Mongolian river itself the foundations of the big dam have been laid, and'the sides are up. Before beginning the wall up the stream the engineers had to put an extra tunnel in the side of the cliff to take the flowing water away round and into the river bed lower down. In this tunnel a gate (or door) has to be placed, and the work had been delayed awaiting this gate. However, the material bad just arrived, and the gate was being put in position. The engineer in charge said that as soon as they can get on to the concreting of the foundations it would not take long to fill up the gap and dam up (The river. The visitors were told this would be completed by June next, though to the inexpert there seemed still a great deal of work to do. The tunnel through the mountain te the A raped Valley is completed. At the Arapeti works the big dam is making splendid progress. One thousand yards of concrete were put in last week. This wall will also be completed by June. The tunnel through the mountain to the Shannon side is now being concreted. A largo fang is at work at the generating station, four miles from Shannon, at the foot of the mountains, and the work of fitting in the machinery is rapidly proceeding. The Power Board is hoping to receive the current from the Government by August next. Mr J. A. Nash, M.P.j chairman of the Mnna-waiu-Oroua Power Board, said the Board had laid its wires over 50 square miles of country, and were now ready to buy the current from the Government. They were hoping to be able to do so by August next.