ARAPUNI DAM.

Wairarapa Daily Times, 23 June 1930, Page 5

ARAPUNI DAM.

MR SEMPLE’S VIEW.

(By Telegraph—Press Association.) HAMILTON, Saturday.

Mr R. Semple, M.P., who was asked by the Workers’ Union and the Minister of Public Works to make an inspection of the investigation tunnels at Arapuni, stated subsequently that there was no cause for alarm in regard to the nature of the work. He considered that in order to make doubly sure, a 12ft. bore should be kept ahead of the face. This would tap any water cavities that might exist.

Asked for his opinion of the whole business after his inspection, Mr Semple said his conviction was strengthened that the whole scheme was a fiasco.

Tho way in which the water had found its way through the cracks confirmed his opinion that the scheme had been built on a shifting mass. The river seemed to be eating back to the old river bed sooner than had been anticipated. The suggestion for concreting tho falls, Mr Semple characterised as stupid in the extreme. No amount of concrete would be able to withstand the terrible force of water that would pour over in flood time. Mr Semple urged a definite and complete investigation by a special committee empowered to call in eminent outside engineers. To spend hundreds of thousands of pounds in concrete would be merely throwing money away. The worst aspect was that there was no guarantee, no matter what money was spent, that the scheme would successfully function. The country should not - throw good money after bad. Ho described the scheme as a gigantic and colossal blunder and a criminal waste. Such had been opinion from the very outset. To have built the transformer station on the present site was sheer madness. Tho land was composed of soft and sugary stratas of pipeclay and mud, which were destined to allow the water to pass through from the higher channel to the old bed. Mr Semple considered that what had actually happened was that the land had been continuously and persistently weakened by shocks from the blasting in the tunnels, and that the strata had thus been opened up. The ventilation thus caused had resulted in a softening of the strata and the pressure of water had set up a certain vibration. These factors, combined with the breaking action of the penstocks under their load, and of powerhouse machinery, had set up an earth movement which, in his opinion, was inevitable. Water saturation had thus been rendered easy. Mr Semple added that he was satisfied that not another penny should be spent on Arapuni until complete investigations were made. When Parliament reassembles, he proposes to move that a special committee bo set up, with power to make a full investigation and to.obtain the assistance of eminent outside negineers. Mr Semple said he felt the people had lost confidence in the Public Works Department, particularly in relation to its works at Arapuni. Mr E. McKean, M.P., expressed amazement at the damage done since he was at Arapuni last. It was very problematical if the scheme could be made, an economical working proposition. This question would be one of the first raised when Parliament met. He was of opinion that all documents, plans and data relating to the scheme should be tabled in tho House and made public. It seemed a sliamo that the vast amount of public money spent on providing an economical public and social utility, had been wasted.

The party, comprising Messrs Semple, McKean and W. Lee Martin, expressed appreciation of the courtesy shown them by Mr T. Unbone. Engineer-in-Charge, who had placed every facility in their way for making a thorough investigation.