MANGAHAO POWER.

Press, Volume LX, Issue 18221, 4 November 1924, Page 9

MANGAHAO POWER.

♦ ■fIjRNED ON YESTERDAY, SPEECHES BY MINISTERS. (PSESS ASSOCIATION TELEGaASt.) WELLINGTON, November 3. The Mangahao bydro-elcctric station jras formally opened to-day in fine weather. The function was attended by Mr Massey, the Hon. J. G. Coates (Minister of Tublic Works), a large - um ber of members of both Houses • representatives of Power Boards and other local bodies, Mr F. T. M. Kissel (Chief Eleetrical Engineer), and a large gathering of the public. At the power-station, after the opening addresses, Mr Massey was presented with a golden key, and Mr Coates with eigarette-casc to mark the occasion, fhen, at Mr Massey's request, Mr .partes turned on the power. The power is available for the Horoffhenua Power Board, and will subse(mently be supplied to all other Power Boards in the district. Mangahao station is at present the largest generating station in New Zealand. Though the proposals relating to the schema trere introduced in 190-1, the actual work was not commenced till May, 1919. The headworks and generating machinery alone were erected at a cost of approximately £1,000,000, greatly exceeding the estimates. Shannon was gaily decorated in celebration of the occasion, and a banquet was held there after the ceremony at jjangahao. Prime Minister's Speech. In his speech at the power-station, jjr MBssey congratulated the ratepayers ob the completion of such an important work. It was another milestone on the road over which New Zealand was steadily, if not rapidly, travelling. It was the duty of the country to go on with similar works until every lioubolold was supplied with electricity. Stations at Waikarcmoana and Arapuni tould also be operating in the future, B jhl eventually the whole of the island would be reticulated. It was hoped that power from Mangahao would be turned on in Wellington at Christmas, and later other Power Boards would absorb some of the supply. It was no longer considered that the proper thing was for the Government to monopolise the supply of eloctric power. It was new considered perfectly satisfactory 1 f« distribution to bo undertaken by ■ Electric Power Boards, which, be hoped, would not bo slow in taking full advantage of the opportunity offering at Mangahao. The Hon. J. G. Coates announced 1 that the station would turn out about 2»,000 h.p. This migJ * not be available immediately, but would be by the time it was required. The cost of the jheadworks arid the generating machinery aj»unted to a million, and there Would b* fji additional expenditure of a million in transmission lines. Of this, £400,000 would be charged to the Waikoremoana scheme when it was brought iato operation. The Government was r pared to generate power for Boards the district as soon as those Boards were prepared for 1 that power. The Mangahao scheme was the biggest yet developed in the North. Island, but the ,' Arapuni Bcheme, when completed, would be bigger, and so would the Lake Cole* litjge scheme in the South Island. The Public Works Department had reason ty be proud that it had a staff that «inld tackle such a task as Mangahao. lb was necessary that such schemes shfidd be undertaken by the Governa«t and power supplied, as- it .was, titoanh. public bodies, because if it iHjjutfaer the control of private enter'pise It would be found that thicklywttMjlated areas would be 1 the only pices where power was available, ■ "whereas the Government sought to plaeo it'within reach of everyone who chose ' to; take it. Engineering Difficulties. ',* The scheme was the most difficult ever undertaken in New Zealand, and of its kind the most difficult in Australasia. - Power was obtained by shortening the , -,Mth towards the sea of the Mangahao jbriwob of the Manawatu River by 'diverting it through the main ridge of ;the Tararua Bauge. In 1906 Mr -P. < l 8. Hay, formerly Engineer-iri-Chief of Public Works Department, made '- Wveys in the locality and investigated '-~tb«'possibilities; but the present scheme wis selected and developed by M?P. 'TV'M. Kissel, now Chief Electrical En- -. * gtoeer. At the end of 1915 detail sur- ' 'wrn were commenced, and early in sir William Fraser began to push *' ahead with the work. The actual start was made in May of the same year. , *", The completion of the work was ono -*f-of the monuments to the memory of f'llix William Fraser. ■& " After paying a tribute to the efforts 4 of the late Mr Lawrence Birks, of the f .Public Works Department, Mr Coates % stated "that all the employees had been to the Government, and bad done , wood year's work, in recognition of ' 'which the Prime Minister had decided to grant them a alight increase in wages ", fw the next task undertaken. The "Ifinister concluded by asking Power * Bfard* to get on with their reticula- • tHjb, so that the Government could at . s£ce get a return for the money it had "sjjfcnt in developing the scheme. Speeches at Banquet. "' At the banquet Mr Massey, replying 1 to his toast, stated that some people thought the country was borrowing too ■* .-BMfcsh outside money, but when works l ' *»& as Mangahao had to be carried out -' it was necessary to borrow money. The eototry had had no difficulty so far - .m-taiaing loans, and had been able to t ehW advances on more favourable " ■ tejms than those granted to any other ,; tojtotry in tho Empire. jfr. The Hon. J. G. Coates said this was f/'tte first scheme a British Government - m attempted to carry out with a A. voltage of 110,000. The contract had -' b«en let to a British firm, and had been \ soundly fulfilled. The Power Boards *y had been a great help, co-operating with U'B& Government in every way possible. Manufacturing industries would follow ; , the supply of electricity in the district, f-TW farming, the greatest industry of K the country, would be greatly benefited. I- would not do everything, it would make life more easy. r