FLOOD DAMAGE

Otago Daily Times, Issue 25802, 24 March 1945, Page 6

FLOOD DAMAGE

PROGRESS OF REPAIR WORK RAIL TRANSPORT OF COAL RESUMED (Special) BALCLUTHA, Mar. 23. Coal from the Kaitangata mines is now being transported to Stirling by rail There is still no lorry transport via Inch Clutha. An official of the mines stated this afternoon that repairs to the railway were nearly complete. In the meantime only a light engine can be used owing to a damaged culvert opposite the Stirling break, but normal traffic will probably be resumed early next week. Employees of the Public Works Department, together with the Coal Company’s railway staff, are carrying out repairs. An official said to-day that the normal output from the mines was 500 to 600 tons a day, and this quantity is being transported to Stirling even with the light engine. Yesterday's output was nearly 600 tons. The i e-forming of the StirlingKaitangata main road is now under way. Huge dumps of rock and spoil are being made on both sides of the gap. The same procedure will be followed as at the causeway, three chains inland from the road, and when sufficient material has been accumulated, bulldozers and dump wagons will close the break at the mouth, and later reform the main road. The road will, of course, eventually be much wider than the causeway which has sealed the break in the riverbank. No army labour is now being used, but the Public Works Department employees still remain. Mr R. Simmers, the Public Works engineer in charge, will return to Dunedin shortly, and the River Trust engineer, Mr A. J. McD. Miller, will take over the work. Mr Miller said this afternoon that the recent adverse weather had held up work, and that it was uncertain when the road would finally be re-formed. Last week-end 20 chains of the road from Kaitangata to the break was under six inches of water, but to-day only a short stretch was covered. Representatives of the Rivers’ Control and Conservation Council and the supervisor of the Primary Production Councils in New Zealand (Mr W. Hughes) have inspected the area.