THE WAIPORI WORKS.

Otago Witness, Issue 3877, 3 July 1928, Page 16

THE WAIPORI WORKS.

PROGRESS OF EXTENSIONS. CR SCOTT’S MOTION. Waipori matters were.further discussed at Wednesday evening’s meeting of the City Council. Cr Scott moved —That having regard to the apparent delays that h-ave occurred during the past two or three years in the progress of the development scheme now in hand at Waipori, and having regard to the imperative necessity for expediting the several works that should be completed to schedule time if the increasing demands on the generating plant are to be successfully met in the near future, it be an instruction to the Electric Power and Light Committee to report on the present state of progress of the whole scheme, with special reference to the estimated date of completion of the following particular works, together with an assurance from the officer or officers responsible for such completion as to the reasonable probability of such estimated time for completion being fully realised. The particular works to which reference is made are:—

(a) Additions to the existing dam by the erection of temporary “ gates ” authorised in ‘.pril last. (b) Supply, delivery and erection of the 3000 kw. machine for the main station required to deal with the autumn and winter loading of 1929. (e) Supply, delivery, and erection of the pipe line to serve the plant referred to in the last preceding section. (d) Erection of the No. 1 power station at the site of the .proposed new dam. (e) Supply, delivery, and erection of the 7ft pipe line to serve the No. 1 power station.

(f) Delivery and erection of the horizontal generating plant for the same. (g) Work in connection with the tunnel, surge chamber, and sft concrete conduit, the purpose of which is to add to the pressure in the tunnel, and thus allow of the passage of an increased flow of water.

(h) A general outline of. the present position, indicating , what progress has been made with the work on the new 110 ft dam.

(i) Has reasonable access been provided for the transport of material for he several works in contemplation? Cr Scott said that it was true that the department had gone ahead probably more rapidly than had been expetced. If it had done so well, all the more glory to the undertaking. The people were anxious to know, however, what was going on at Waipori, and whether they could depend on the schedule of work which had been drawn up being carried out. They knew that the chairman of the Electric Power and. Light Committee had repeatedly, told them that if the committee’s proposals were not adopted he would not be, responsible. The, speaker congratulated Or Shacklock on’the work he had put into the Wapori undertaking, and went on to say that the margin of profit was not sufficient to allow of many more mishaps, or to have many more dams condemned.

Cr Douglas rose to a point of. order. He said that Cr Scott was a member of the Electric Power and Lighting Committee, and he thought he should have brought this motion before this committee first,in- • stead s of bringing , : it up before the eoun-i ;<?H. ’ , ) ■> '

Cr Scott: I would like to know what is the point? . It would be interesting to know. ,

The Mayor said he could not possibly rule Cr Scott out of order. He took it

that Cr Douglas considered it was a question more of good taste than anything else.

Cr Scott then took his clauses seriatum and said that all he desired was information. There was no attempt to get at the chairman of the Electric Power and Lighting Committee, or any member of the committee, or any of the officers of the department. Cr Campbell seconded the motion. He was not a member of the Electric Power and Light Committee, and he was not satisfied that the work in connection with the scheme at Waipori was being carried out in the best interests of the people, neither was he satisfied as to the extent of the expenditure. He had never known a case where dual control had been a success. Instances might be cited to show that in such eases failure had- been the result. Separately, two engineers might be the best of men, but jointly they might not agree and, as a consequence, a work suffered. He considered that the work at Waipori should all be under the jurisdiction of the Electric Power and Light Committee.

Cr Hayward supported the motion. It seemed to him a great pity the two departments could not have been separated, with the electrical works with their own engineer. Cr Wilson: They have always been separated. Cr Hayward said he was on the committee when a resolution was passed that the works should come under the control of the city engineer. If a hydraulic engineer were in charge of the hydraulic works at Waipori he would have an opportunity to carry out the work better than a man who had had work put on him to such an extent that. he did not know where he was. He would support the motion, because something might come out of it. The council should know where it was, and if there was anything it could do to push on the work ,it was its duty to do all it could. Cr Munro said the motion, if carried, would not do any harm. He was a member of the committee, and as’ far as his knowledge went the Waipori work was going along satisfactorily. All the questions asked in the motion could be easily answered by the committee. The experts should be given their own time to allow them to finish the work, and should not be interfered with. The council had efficient experts who could do their work if the council would allow them to do it, and nothing should be said to give the public any idea to the contrary. Cr Wilson said that no harm could be done by passing the motion,' as long as there was no pin-prieking about it by tying an officer down to particular time. If councillors would go out to Waipori and see what was being done they would not criticise the progress of the scheme. As far as the present engineering work was concerned, they were too far on with it to change their tactics now. Let them give the engineers all the support they could, so that the work mighti be carried through. Cr Douglas said he intended to support the motion. He thought Cr Scott could, however, have got the information desired from the committee. The speaker went on to deal with certain work in connection with the foundations at the old dam, and said he thought the city engineer had been working on the right, lines in the steps he had taken regarding ,the height of the dam.

The Mayor said it was to be regretted that reference had been made in the discussion to some change of management That as not referred to in the various clauses. He did not think it was right at the present juncture to make sucn statements as had been made. He knew they were not expressing the mind of the council regarding the activities at Wai ,pori.. He was sure that the council had entire confidence regarding the .manner in which the work was being carried out at Waipori, . and that the method, and plan of their city engineer were - right and. proper; He would say - that without the slightest fear of contradiction;'- l He would

like to say that some of the councillors, in speaking as they had done, were really condemning the committee of which they were members. He was not opposing the motion, but he thought the information could have been obtained in the committee.

Cr Begg -endorsed what the Mayor , had said. Cr Scott could have got all, the information he wanted from the reports, and it was rather surprising to him. that he had come along with such a motion. The speaker referred to the fact that Cr Shacklock had time and again urged the necessity of pushing on with the work. Cr Shacklock said he had not the verbosity of some councillors. As a rule, he did not walk around a circle when he could cut through it. The passing of the motion would not do any harm, but as a matter of fact he could write the answers to most of the questions right away. There were one or two clauses which would require some time to answer—for instance, clause “ e.” As a matter of fact, they were calling for tenders for a portion of the pipe that night, and tenders lor another portion were being called in the press of that morning. The department was returning in revenue some £4OOO per week, and he would like to say that this was not being jeopardised in any way. He had been surprised at the statements of Crs Hayward and Campbell. Their recommendation was that they should swap horses in the middle of the stream. Cr Hayward: We have not got into the stream yet. Cr Shacklock: We are in the stream. I am absolutely surprised at you making such a statement. Cr Shacklock went on to refer to .the fact’that they had deemed it imperative to take every care in the foundations of the dam. The old one might have been heightened with safety; but, on the other hand, it might not. The engineer had endeavoured, as far as was humanely possible,, to make sure that nothing unforeseen should happen in connection with the erection of the new dam. Waipori was becoming more and more the heart of Dunedin, and they did not intend to take, any risks in connection with the works there. Cr Scott,- having replied, the motion was put and carried unanimously.