MR. SEMPLE CAN'T FIND AUXILIARY PLANT

Chronicle (Levin), 10 June 1947, Page 4

MR. SEMPLE CAN'T FIND AUXILIARY PLANT

WELLINGTON, .Tune S. Renewed vefforts have been macle by the NoverHment to obtam auxiliarv electrieal generating plant, including steam di'iven plant, from overseas' but tfio -r'eph' has yet been reeeived to cabled inquiries to United States, Britain and other countries said Mr Serflple today, He diseounted the . ,{ch!eap -talk ' ' •abOtit the ,f)Ossd)ility of obtaiaing such equipment and stressed that eqUipment- recently installed at Arapuni -had •been ordered seven years ago. As the result of war eonditipns th.ere was -flerce •cotn'pefti.ti'O'n for .generating equipTnent and the Oovernment was doing its best to see that New Zeal-and got her share. She could not ex|>ect more than that. The Govprnment had »no"t h'Ren asleep o'n this question and investigations were made long before the cuts took place because it was foared that if there were a dry spell there •wotrld *be diffieulties. H-ad it 'U'ot 'been for the dry weather the severn -cuts would not have taken place. - Mr. Semple said he had just returned from Taupo and had never seen the lake so low. The rain which was fallingyes-tel-day would talce -some time to ntake /any impression. N'early five years ago maehinery was ordered for Waikaremoana but even' now the governor for the first unit had not afrived and the maehinery for the second unit Was not even in sight. It miglit be twclve months before the •equipment -for the third unit at KUraipiro Was "ih sight. Some seeond-h'and auxikary generating plant had been 'dis--c'overed toi- *sale in U.S.A. but none Was suitable for -New Zealand -as it was 'old, •bb'solete "and of the ;G0 cycle type. During the war generating capaeity 4iad -i-nereased by 67 per eent and -by 1Q4 per cent since the Government took office. • , . ,j