AT ORONGORONGO
TUNNEL WORKS VISITED
CO-OPERATIVE CONTRACT IN ACTION
TUNNELLERS ENTERTAIN MAYOR AND COUNCILLORS
In response to an invitation from the co-operative workers engaged on the Orongorongo tunnel contract, the Mayor (Mr. B. A. Wright, M.P.) and ten of the fifteen members of the City Council, with the city engineer (Mr. W. H. Morton), the town clerk (Mr. J. R. Palmer), and Press representatives, visited the works on the Wainui slopes of the Orongorongo range yesterday. Perfect weather favoured the outing.
In the Wainui valley, immediately below the lower basins, the motor-cars dashed through ice-encrusted pools, and the paddocks retained the heavy frost of the previous night, even though the hills above were bathed in sunlight from a clear sky. After the cars were parked under the pines at the lower reservoir, the party tramped up the valley, past the Morton dam, which was spilling its waters over the by-wash in picturesque lace-like design, up the rough track, through primeval bush, of entrancing beauty.
As only a ten-feet cart track has been hewn through the heart of the bush, the visitor finds himself alongside magnificent rimu, black maire, totara, and red and black birch trees; seventy, eighty, and even one hundred feet in height, with trunks from twenty to thirty feet round at the base. It was remarked by one councillor that the track was going to provide trippers with the most remarkable bush scenery to be seen in the vicinity of Wellington.
On arrival at the huts, which are situated in the George Gully, about a mile and a-half from the Morton dam, the Mayor and the members of the party were welcomed by Mr. R. Semple, the head of the gang of co-operative workers who have undertaken to pierce the tunnel. The men were away at work, track-making on the other side of the mountain, so Mr. Semple acted as host, and introduced the party to a very excellent dinner.
After dinner the members of the party continued their way up to the tunnel face, and, providing themselves with lighted candles, proceeded into the bowels of the mountain. The tunnel has been pierced a distance of about 220 feet, but only some 15 feet has been penetrated into the parent rock of the range. The softer surface skin has been wonderfully timbered, but from where the hard rock begins no timbering has been found necessary.
The little torchlight procession, having arrived at the face, each man holding a one-candle power light over his head, Mr. Semple explained that they had found it impossible to proceed any further with hand-drills, as the rock was too hard — the hardest he had ever struck in his mining experience. To illustrate he drove at the rock face with a pick. There was a spark, and a ring like metal. Again and again he drove at the rock, without making any impression.
“As hard as flint,” he said as he threw down the pick.
After emerging from the dripping hole, the party decided to inspect the track that was being made over the mountain. This work the men have been engaged on for the past three months, and they have reached a point 25 chains down the hill on the other side. No hewing work in the tunnel has been done for over six weeks.
In the meantime the gang is experiencing arctic rigours on the top of the range, which is 2596 feet above sea level, and a good 1660 feet above the tunnel face and camp. Mr. Semple described the scene from the crest on Tuesday morning as one of extraordinary magnificence. As far as the eye could see along the range the trees were mantled in snow, which gleamed crystalline in the rays of the morning sun. Underfoot there was a foot of snow, and it was cold work felling and handling timber for the new camp.
This is to be established immediately on the Orongorongo side of the range, as the distance from the tunnel camp is too far for the men to walk morning and evening, and, according to Mr. Semple, it takes too much out of them. “It means going to work by moonlight,” and returning by starlight, in order to get in eight hours’ work on the track.” The camp will be a temporary one of tents, as it will only be needed until the track is completed to the bottom of the hill some two months hence.
Two Power Plants
There are fifteen men in the gang, eleven of whom are engaged on track work, and four are digging the foundations for the new turbine engine that is to supply the power for the air-compressors (to work the rock drills). As to this part of the work it is necessary to explain that owing to sufficient water-power being unobtainable from the Morton dam for three or four months of the year, two power plants are being erected.
One will be a turbine-driven hydraulic plant, in which the overflow of the big dam will be played direct on to turbines, generating sufficient current to keep the air compressors busy. This plant is being erected in a depression between the two basins, and quite near the new bridge that spans the Wainui stream. It will give some 80 horsepower when in action.
The other plant is a steam-driven one. The 7½-ton boiler started for Wainui a week ago, and is now side-tracked a few hundred yards from the Wainui post office. Munt, Cottrell, and Co. are going to attempt to drag it to its destination on a trailer tomorrow if the weather holds fine. This boiler and engine will be erected as soon as possible, and as soon as the power for the drills is available the work at the tunnel face will be commenced in earnest.
All the machinery, save the compressors, is either at Wainui or in town. Some months at least must elapse before the miniature power-house is ready for work. So far, the only work done is the excavation for the foundations.
Mr. Barrance, the inspecting engineer, joined the party at Wainui, and explained how the land lay.
Congratulations
On the return of the party from the mountain pack track (which is constructed on a grade of 1 in 6½, and is quite a climb for anyone not used to it), afternoon tea was served in the men’s dining-room, a snug asbestos-built structure neatly lined with pulp board, and containing a huge open fireplace well stocked with blazing rata logs.
At the conclusion of tea, the Mayor, addressing Mr. Semple, his men, and the ladies who had assisted in preparing and serving the meals, emphasised the kind and hospitable way in which they had been treated. He wished to say that the cooking and preparation of the meals would have done credit to any hotel in New Zealand.
They had been very interested in their visit, and had found the progress made to be solid and good, and a credit to Mr. Semple and his men. (Applause.) They had entered freely into what was purely a business transaction, which he believed was going to turn out well. (Hear, hear.)
It was a compact with men who were going through with the job, without any trouble, no “go slow,” and no strikes, which were a bother and handicap to both sides. He, for one, did not object if they made good money out of it by working on the co-operative plan. If that was the solution of a lot of the troubles in the world today, by all means continue that contract system.
Men who were prepared to come out there and do good work deserved to make a little more than those who were enjoying all the comforts of civilisation in the cities. Having seen what he had, he could now freely invite those critics who had been hurling rocks at the council over the contract to come out and see for themselves.
He was agreeably impressed with the progress made, and congratulated Mr. Semple and the men who were associated with him. Mr. Morton (the city engineer) had told him that it did his eyesight good to see how the men worked. They deserved thanks and congratulations. He was so impressed with the camp that he was thinking of making arrangements to spend a couple of days there.
Councillor L. McKenzie said he had pleasure in endorsing all the Mayor had said. He considered that the men deserved every shilling they earned, and the progress made was a complete answer to the critics of the council in respect to the contract.
On Their Honour
Mr. Semple thanked the Mayor and Councillor McKenzie for their remarks. In reference to the job, they had undertaken the contract, and in doing so had given the engineer their word of honour that they would see it through without any difficulty, trouble, or strikes.
It did not matter whether they were members of the single-tax brigade, the I.W.W., or whether they were Sinn Feiners or Bolsheviks, no power on earth was going to prevent them going through with it. Apart from the monetary view, they were aware that the people of Wellington wanted an up-to-date water supply — that the health of the community demanded it — and they were going to get through as soon as possible.
If they could not agree with such an issue at stake, it was time they were all dead! If they could not agree on that which was an asset to life, and likely to be a blessing to the present generation and posterity, they were a poor lot. It was a rough job, but so far they had experienced no difficulties.
The city engineer was a man who could be very hard. He was a man who could say “No!” and mean “No,” and he would sooner have that than a shuffler. On behalf of his party he thanked them for honouring them, and the pleasure they had given the ladies by giving them the opportunity to display their cooking abilities.
He hoped His Worship would visit them again, when the machinery was in action, and fire the first shot. He commended the work of the city engineer and Mr. Barrance, and intimated that the existing camp was about to be closed, and a temporary one of tents resorted to until the track over the mountain was finished. He hoped to see them all there again. (Applause.)
Cheers were then given for Mr. Semple and his party, and the ladies, concluding with the singing of “For They Are Jolly Good Fellows.”
