REMOVAL FOR SCOURING A MAJOR JOB

Gisborne Herald, Volume LXXV, Issue 22657, 7 June 1948, Page 6

REMOVAL FOR SCOURING A MAJOR JOB

WOOL AT WAIPAOA

One of the salvage tasks in which the Minister of Agriculture, Mr. E. L. Cullen, showed particular interest during his brief tour of the district on Friday was the recovery of wool stored in the old Waipaoa freezing-works buildings, which were surrounded and invaded bv the flood-waters on May 14.

The Minister spent a short time at the old works buildings, discussing the problems of removal and treatment of the wool, and noted the extreme difficulty under which the salvage operation was proceeding.

At the height of the flood the water was several feet deep in and around the buildings, and the subsidence of the water leti deep deposits of silt which for a time cut off the buildings from road or rail access. Costly Maintenance of Outlet Rough-and-ready access to the old works has been provided now at a cost which obviously would be justified only by the high value of the wool and the urgent need for its removal. Huge amounts of silt were shifted by mechanical means, and gravel has been spread to carry the traffic of trucks laden with wet and muddy bales from the bottom tiers in the building. Maintenance of the temporary road way is absorbing the attention uf a small staff and the services of a substantial amount of equipment; and even so conditions are far from ideal for the truckers.

Clearance of the ground floor of the buildings has not progressed far, but the hole made in the stacks of bales displays the immediate effects of the recent flooding. It is a dirty job for the wool-handlers, who have to scrape silt from the floor where it lies to a depth of several inches, clinging to the bales and adding to their weight. Adequate Scouring Facilities

The bales are so sluggish that man handling is almost out of the question so far as the lowest tier of all is concerned, and loading on to trucks is being carried out by a garage firm’s breakdown van, fitted with a derrick and winch.

Those in charge of the recovery of the wool consider that adequate facilities for scouring the damaged wool can be found, and that the loss will be small, despite the depth of its immer sion and the lapse of timri between the flood and the opening of the stacks. Salvage operations will be costly, without doubt, but as in the case of providing access to the storage place, the value of the wool is held to fully justify the outlay involved.