ATOMIC POWER IN 20 YEARS

Chronicle (Levin), 27 June 1947, Page 5

ATOMIC POWER IN 20 YEARS

-Press Association

Bv Telegraph

.• / WELLINGTON, June 26." The .geperal piractieal application ot atomic power to'industrial purposes yd New Zealand could not be expected for about 20 years, said Dr. E. Marsden, secretary of the Department of lndustrial and Seientilie Researeh. and President of the Royal Society ■pUNew Zealand, in an address on "The Atomic Age" to the conference of tlie .National Dairy Federation. The immediate problem with atomic power, said Dr. Marsden, was the control of it. It was, in fact, "morally" not safe to develop atomic energy on a world-wid.e seaie until we hafl some praetical and enforceable world agreement to prpvent its use for atomic bombs such as fell on Hiroshima and Nagasaki. Only some form of international control of atomic energy could preYmnt a disastrous atomic armaments race developing, h.e said, and before giving consideration to its indiistisial value the world as a whole must deyise some plan to govern its developmeiit and appbcation.

The great fe'ar of atomic, warfare had overshadowed the hope and expeeta tion ''that atomic transformations, , if given a chance, might be used to enrieh vastly human life. A" recept fairly reliable Californian report indicated' that, using present knowledge and developments, it could reasonably be expected that in the next two years the overall cost of electric power at ait atomic plant woitld be onethjrd of a penny (New Zealand) a unit. Compared with other types of power geperation the capital costs would be high. Under New Zealand eonditions the cost of power from coal was about a half-penny a unit according to the size of the plant, from oil three-farthings and from hydro or npfural steam about. one-third of a penny a unit. It was apparent., theref0Ve, that in future there was every chanee of atomie power being competifcive with. other forms of power but tlie genqral pvactical application could not be expeete j in New Zealand for, say, 20 years. .