HYDRO-ELECTRIC SCHEME

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXXII, Issue 22071, 29 March 1935, Page 13

HYDRO-ELECTRIC SCHEME

LITTLE WORK AVAILABLE POSITION AT WAIKAREMOANA [bt telegraph—OWN correspondent] GISBORNE, Thursday Encouraged by reports of developmental work about to be proceeded with in connection with the Waikaremoana hydro-electric scheme, men have been arriving at Tuai recently in large numbers in search of work. Some have come from as far away as Whangarei in the north and Palmerston North -in the south. Mr. W. H. Gregory, engineer in charge at Waikaremoana, was in Gisborne to-day, and in the course of an interview he expressed sympathy with those men who had trudged long distances in the hope and expectation of finding work, and for whom no work at present was available. He said that what was being done at Lake Waikaremoana at present was purely investigation work, for which little labour was required. There would be no serious developmental work for several months, and even then the demand for labour would not be large, as such work as tunnelling had to be done in a restricted space and many men could not be employed. "There is more available labour in our own district than we can find work for," said Mr. Gregory, "and even for the special work required we know there are plenty of suitable men in the district."