The Press WEDNESDAY, JULY 3, 1918. Cut Off by the Weather.

Press, Volume LIV, Issue 16254, 3 July 1918, Page 6

The Press WEDNESDAY, JULY 3, 1918. Cut Off by the Weather.

Tho storms of the last few days havo revealed tho fact that the Lake Coleridge hydro-electric scheme, in spite of its double transmission lines, is not immune from the grave drawback common to such sources of power, namely, liability to serious interruption. The loss and inconvenience from such interruption are bad enough, as tho owners of industries brought to a standstill and of shops, either struggling to do business by "the light of " other days," or putting up the shutters in despair, arc able to testify. As time goes on, and a larger number of manufacturers, tradesmen, and private individuals become dependent on electricity for light or power, the dislocation caused by an interruption of the supply -will become more serious. Even as it is, if tho Tramway Board and the City Council had not been able to bring tlieirsteam plants into use, the condition of Christehurch, with industries brought to a standstill, the trams no longer running, and the streets in darkness, would have been sufficiently uncomfortable. Considering the country which the transmission lines havo to traverse, wo fear that the danger of interruption from severe storms will always exist. It is this liability to interruption which has led to the provision of a stoam stand-by plant in conjunction with many hydro-clectric schemes. As wo havo said, Christchurch is fortunate in having the Tramway and City Council plante available in cases of emergency, but it is evident that the power these can furnish is not nearly sufficient. Tho

consequences of interruption are so serious that we fear either tho Government or tho city will in the near futuro have to take into consideration the provision of additional steam plant for stand-by purposes. This necessity is tho more to be regretted as the Laka Coleridgo scheme has already cost nearly double tho amount originally estimated per horse-power of plant installed. It is undoubtedly an immense boon to Canterbury, and will become more of a boon in the future, but it has its drawbacks, and those who originally urged that electricity generated from "water running to waste" must necessarily cost little or nothing to produce, aro now finding out. that they were egregiously mistaken.

In another respect the storm has shown a serious .defect in our existing arrangements. We refer to the breakdown in telegraphic communication. Not only Canterbury but the' whole of the South s Island had been isolated froni the outside world for forty hours up to 12 o'clock last night, and we shall be very lucky if the break in too telegraphic system is bridged over by midnight tonight. In the crisis of the war the public are kept without news of what is happening at the front, except such as comes leisurely down by mail, and the inconvenience to business men of being cut off from communication w\th the seat of Gdvernmtot and with other markets is no light matter. Far more serious are such interruptions from the point of view of defence. Thanks to the British Navy we are now entirely free froin the danger of enemy ships in this part of •the world, but if only one enemy raider had managed to escape in these waters it is easy to imagine the feeling of insecurity which would exist all over the South Island at the present time. This is an argument in favour of Mr Wigram's plan for the use of soouting seaplanes in New Zealand, but this whole situation points to the urgent necessity of the Government erecting a wireless plant in or near Christchurch, to oomiiiunicate. with the powerful station in Wellington, that we may n6 longer be subject to complete isolation whenever there is an unusually heavy fall of snow, or a violent gale in the backcountry. During the war great restrictions have to be placed on the use of wireless for private communications, but when peace returns, this branch of telegraphy is capable of great expansion for commercial purposes. In the meantime common prudence, as well as a rudimentary regard for the interests of the people in the South Island, surely demands that the Government should give this matter immediate attention.