THE ARAPUNI DAM.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXV, Issue 20136, 22 December 1928, Page 12

THE ARAPUNI DAM.

♦ Apprehensions have been aroused, especially in the Waiknto Valley, regarding the stability of the Arapuni dam by statements recently published by Mr. R. W. Holmes, whose criticism naturally carries weight by reason of the fact that he was formerly engineer-in-chief of the Public Works Department. Mr. Holmes has, in effect, condemned the scheme as dangerous and advised the Government to abandon it. v The natural assumption is that an engineer of his reputation would not make such a drastic proposal without very good reason. It is, however, impossible to overlook the circumstances in which it was published. The fact that he remained silent for many years, when sincere anxiety should have impelled him to speak before the actual construction of the works was commenced, suggests that during that period the risks of erecting the dam 011 the appointed site had not disturbed him. His ultimate warning is, moreover, seriously discounted by the fact that its publication was determined by the failure of a threat addressed to the Government in relation to a purely private grievance. Even if the report is taken at its face value, without regard to these extraordinary circumstances, it is found that the criticisms it offers are not substantiated. They are based upon a theory regarding the origin of the Arapuni gorge that has been authoritatively "refuted: Mr. Holmes claims that the purpose of the exploration of the site was to discover "earthquake cracks," but nowhere in his report is there evidence that he was cither familiar with the results of that exploration or cognisant with the details of the exceptionally thorough investigation that was made before the scheme was adopted. Not only aro Mr. Holmes' allegations based on partial, hearsay and inaccurate information, but they also include the grotesque insinuation that the decision to proceed with the Arapuni scheme was made by the Government owing to the influence of Sir James Gunson, exercised after a casual visit to the site, and by implication, that his influence was sufficient to cause the , Government to ignore expert advice against the risks of the' site. In view of the anxiety aroused by these allegations, the Minister of Public Works is considering the advisability of appointing another commission to examine the scheme. Those who aro responsible for its construction would not object to any form of inquiry, but it is a question whether the expense would be justified. Perhaps those who have made representations on the subject will realise that there is v no substantial reason for alarm after they have studied the survey of Mr. Holmes' report, based on authoritative information, published to-day. If any misgivings remain they might prefer, as against the suggested commission, to appoint a representative committee of their own to obtain directly from the engineers of the Public Works Department full information upon the points raised by Mr. Holmes. By that means, the residents in the Waikato Valloy would be convinced that the attack on the Arapuni scheme was due to erroneous deductions from inadequate information*