RAETIHI POWER PLANT WILL HAVE TO BE INCREASED

Wanganui Chronicle, 26 July 1949, Page 8

RAETIHI POWER PLANT WILL HAVE TO BE INCREASED

RAETIHI, July 24 (OC).—Consequent on the increasing demand for power, both in the borough and in the rural areas, the Raetihi Borough Council is faced with the necessity of expanding its generating plant on a fairly extensive scale. In addition to the provision of further machinery this will mean the harnessing of more water, and it appears that an old scheme for the tapping of lhe Orautoha Stream will have to be put into effect. This stream has a normal How of approximately six cusecks and it is flowing on a parallel course with and some twenty chains distant from the Makaraiti, one of the streams at present being used for power purposes. The utilisation of the Orautoha would not mean only the diversion or lhe flow, but it would entail lhe building of a storage dam, this being assent ial to combat the diminishing quantities available over the summer and autumn seasons. Storage i s the keynote of the whole scheme and with its gorgy nature, plus its freedom from moving shingle, the Orautoha lends itself io this form of development. i Figures taken by the borough forei man, Mr. E. Davis, show that the ; bed level at a point on the Orautoha | is eighteen inches below a point on ! the Makaraiti, but a rise of lour feet | in the (low of lhe former would give all the necessary fall to lhe point of (lelivery on lhe other stream. The | plan would include the construction I of a dam with a width of 30 feel and a height of 28 feel, and this would I create a lake on the Orautoha almost

400 yards in length and containing upwards of four million gallons. From the dam to Makaraiti the water would travel through an open cut of 200 yards thence by a tunnel of 550 feet — the whole of this earthwork necessitating the removal of some 3000 yards of spoil. The country is of papa formation, metal for dam construction is on the site, and the total area to be acquired by the council to cover the scheme would approximate three acres. When the foreman’s report cam-, before the council at the July meeting, It was resolved that all data be submitted to the council’s consulting engineer, Mr. Vickerman, a n d that he be requested to inspect, the project and report at the earliest opportunity. DEALING WITH STRAY DOGS. Notwithstanding that the Borough Council has taken definite steps over the years to cope with the stray dog nuisance, very little improvement has been effected’ and unowned or uncontrolled animals continue to be a blight on the community. Apart from their filthy habits about footpaths and snop frontages, these dogs constitute a r<k 1 danger to motorists and their depredations on farm lands result in losses amounting to hundreds of pounds annually. Loud in their complaints regarding sheep losses sustained and of the anxiety caused by dogs hunting hares and opossums on their properties at night, three farmers on the outskirts of the borough, Messrs H. Punch, J. Chambers and L. Bolstad, waited on Ihe Borough Council at its July meeting requesting that further action be taken to rid the town of a useless lot of hounds that appear to be continually about the main street—these, they contended, were the main source of worry. Many of these were of the pig-hunting type and from the sheep worrying angle, they were the worst when not properly looked after. Mr. Chambers said that he was often out two and three nights in tne week with the gun, and amongst the dogs he had accounted for there was one with a Manawatu County 1928 collar and another with one dated 1947 and issued by the Patea County Council.

The speakers contended that the only method of tackling the problem was the establishment of a pound with a stiff fee and the appointing of a ranger who would enforce the Act. All dogs should be registered and owners compelled to tie them up at night. A pound site was available on an adjacent farm, and members of the deputation were prepared to assist financially in its establishment and upkeep. In replying to the deputation, the Mayor, Mr. A. E. Urwin, st Xcl that an attempt had been made to establish a pound, but the experiment had not proved a success. Under strange conditions the dogs had been very noisy and residents had been subjected to disturbance. The ranger was no:, prepared to undertake the impounding and feeding—actually it was an undesirable sort of job. Matters were more complicated because of the fact that many dogs were in the ownership of people just outside the borough, ana in these cases the council’s ranger had no jurisdiction. He assured the deputation, however, that the council appreciated their proffered assistance and he hoped that this would lead to some solution of the problem. After considerable discussion by the council the Emergency Committee was instructed to further investigate the possibilities of establishing a pound and to submit an estimate o" cost at next meeting. The outcome of this investigation may result in the adoption of some workable scheme, but it would appear that until the compulsory tying up or dogs at night is written into the Act, there will be no abatement of the menace as we know it today.