Mr. Semple On The Causes

Chronicle (Levin), 18 July 1946, Page 7

Mr. Semple On The Causes

-Press Association

NOT GOVERNMENT NEGLECT

■By Telegraph—

\\ hjijLi i A o ui y ±i» lu the House toclay, Hon. 11. Semple couUnued Ihe Address-in-Ileply debate, lle said tliat in Mareli, 193(1, the capacity of the maia Government plants generating electricity was 187,000 kilo-. watts aad in that vear 989,000,000 nnits were generated. In 1915 the capacity had increased to 331,000 kilowatts and 2,000,000,000 nnits were generated. This represented an inc rease of 104 per cent. in generative capaeity and during the war alone that capacity had increased niore tirau 57 per cent. The Minister said he knew of no other countrv than Canada wliicli had developed its power supply to sucli a degree. It should be recognised that oue difticulty which limited the geueration of power was the avaiiability of machinery froin the manufacturiug countries. New Zealand was becoming more and more dependent on electric power which, however, conld not be developed anv more than rainfall perniitted. The' level of Lake Taupo was lower today than it had been for 30 years. .Mr. M. II. O'ram: Why? Mr. >Seniple replied that it was because of laek of rainfall. Apart from that Mr. Oram had "better consult Ihe ('aptain of Ihe Cniverse. " The level of Lake Waikaremoana was also at a recoril low level and in order to provide more power this winter, syphons hnd been installed designed to ine rease the generative capacity froni (i.DOO.OOt) nnits to 12,000,01)0 per week. That iuerease, however, had been olt set by the sliortage of water at Taupo. The installation of those syphons and the erection of control gates at Taupo, had been two measnres which saved the countrv. The total generative capacity of' the North Island was OOO, (ino uirits weekly and had not the summer and winter ti rough t i nterfered, this ea]iacity would have been increased to 43,0011,000 nnits. , Mr. (t. II. Maekley (Masterton) ' asked liow far did ihe 43,000,000 nnits ' I'a 1 1 siiort: of the total required. Mr. Semple said that ligure would not j meet present requireitieiils. lle weut | on to say that the week before last a ! reeord of 31,500,000 uuits was geueri ated but in doing so the levels at : Taupo and Waikaremoana had i'allen ' to danger point. ; The Minister appealecl to tiie people | of the North Island to "be careful in ; the ttse of electricity hecause the auth- : orities did not want to impose further j restrictions on the puhlic. ! Mr. Maekley: Ilow does coal produci tion all'ect ihe situntion ] | Mr. Semple: "J'retty serimisly. " | Mr. Semple added that power slalions I at Lvaus Bay (Wellington) and King's j Wharf (Auckland) were not working j to I'ull eapacity because of laek of the j righf type ofA'oal fan;l lacki of con-t j tinuily of supplie's. | In order to provide -more hydro- ; electric power it was necessary to push j on as rapidly as possihle with new ' works. He hoped Karapiro would funcj tion ncxt winter. Between 300 and 400 I men were working at Maraetai at preI sent. In all there woulcl he ten.stations producing 900,000 kilowatts on ! the Waikato River. It woulcl talce 10 ' to 12 years to complete those works clepeiiding on manpower and materials I availahle. Karapiro, he said, was a i

magniiicent joh and was heing done under tremendous difliculties. Replying to a question by Mr. W Sulliva'n (Bay of ITenty Mr. Semple j said Horahora station would not be touched until tlie otlier stations were operating. ! Mr. Semple said that a survey of water power potentialit i'Os had revealed i that the South island had tliree tinies; more power than the .North Island. ! Mr. S. G. liolland : it would be j .better to bring industries down there. j Mr. Senqile: The (piestion now is to lake the factories to where the power j is. lle added that when the Waikato! Was harnessed coinpletely, there would j be few other schemes left to acconiplish j in the North Island. The big danger, point had been passed in the develop- j uieutal work at Waikaremoana but tliej actual ,job of breaking into the bed of j the lake was still ahead. When the CJutha was developed.. it | would be ihe largest single station of its kiud in New Zealand, with a tapue- j ity of 300, 000 kilowatts. The Lake': Tekapo scheme was also in progress. The c.ountry was conscious of the t'act ; that ail these jobs were of high ]) riorit >' ' and the sensible view was to get on i with them as soon as possible. The. present sliortage of hydro-elect ric ; jiower was certainly not due to Gov-j erument negiect. No oue could have' predicled Ihe t reniendom: need for j power. j