GENERAL ITEMS

Nelson Evening Mail, Volume LXXII, 6 December 1938, Page 6

GENERAL ITEMS

Severe Damage to Tomato Crops Tomato crops in the Hutt Valley received the worst thrashing in 20 years in the southerly storm of Sunday night and yesterday morning. The early bunches of fruit from the first plantings will be affected probably 50 per cent., it is estimated by growers. There has been a 20 per cent, loss of plants which have been completely torn out of the ground. The loss will be a severe setback to grower# and at the start of the season it is expected that the daily output of cases will only be half what it would have been otherwise. Old Locomotives The Tasmanian railways administration has purchased from the New Zealand Railways Department four of its Wf type locomotives, which had become obsolete in the New Zealand service, having been superseded by engines with much greater haulage power and speed. The old engines, however, are suitable for Tasmanian conditions, and after a complete overhaul at the Hillside railway workshops they will be shipped at an early date. New boilers built at Hillside have been provided for these locomotives, which will now be able to give a further long period of useful service. Cheaper in London According to the latest official advice received by the Primary Products Marketing Department the retail price of New Zealand butter in London is Is 2d per lb. and cheese 9d per lb. New Electricity Station The new hydro-electric station to supplement the supply from Waitaki and Lake Coleridge will be in operation in the winter of 1941, states the “Press.” Situated on the bank of the Rakaia river, six miles from Methven, the new station will be known as the Highbank station. Because of the necessity for an augmentation of power supply from Canterbury, the construction of the huge irrigation canal across the plains from the Rangitata river to the Rakaia is being expedited and the work will now be completed a year ahead of the original schedule. Although only preliminary plans have been prepared so far. the new power station will be constructed to synchronise with the completion of the irrigation diversion race in July, 1940. No problems of engineering are ahead in the development of the station, which, with a fall of water of 330 feet, will develop 30,000 h.p. or 22,500 kilowatts. Highbank will probably have one unit. The capacity of the units now installed at Waitaki is 15.000 kilowatts each. When the diversion of the Rangitata river was planned and begun, its purpose was to provide water for irrigation The utilisation of the water in winter time for the development of electricity was then proposed. When the race is completed, the Rangitata’s flow will be diverted throughout the year. In the summer, races will draw off water required for the Irrigation of 210.000 acres of land. In the winter the race gates will be closed and the whole winter flow of the Rangitata will be turned into the diversion canal, along which it will move for 42 miles before discharging down the steep terrace through the turbine in the powerhouse and out into the Rakaia