GREAT SCHEME IN PROSPECTU.

Dominion, Volume 3, Issue 921, 14 September 1910, Page 4

GREAT SCHEME IN PROSPECTU.

.A,FAMILIAR SUBJECT. •'By Tclerrr.pli. -Special .Correspondent.! : : Palmcrston, September 13. . Electric power from Waikarii:: Moariii was; the. subject of a deputation, from Wairoa;which waited on the'Palmerstou Chamber of Commerce to-dny. - The deputation consisted: of 'Messrs. :J. Corkill (Mayor of_AVairoa),' Pow.drell .(chaifmnh of the Wairoa County Council), J. Mayo, J. L. Bowen, Huigne, and G.- Britwell.i Captain. Haydou (president of the local chamber) 'occupied the- chair. - Air. Corkill, .in stating'-the object of he .deputation, they had approached the Palinerston ■ chamber,". be'-'

cause it. was. apparently: /more, alive to the' importance 1 of this subject than -any other chamber iu-the North Island. The power running.,. to waste at ■ Waikai-e iloana 'iyas tromendjous. ; Gisborne,'-, Napier,' Hastings, and - Wairoa " were all wanting cheap; power ahd light,.- and-it-might: never happen "again .that' so'.'many, towns would : be needing so .' much at the same time, so ,that.. the opportunity of all working {together- was uniiiuo. With the present labour, conditions. 1 in-: the country what was/ needed 'for proper industrial-development -was cheap powei. ith labour in its present state, it -was a'bad thing to be dependent on coal; for, if a coal strike ■ happened, there would immediately be a famine in power, -and 1 light, and he -believed that there was great trouble ahead , in suoh matters., Those who had, not seen it-did not have any conception of the, power there. There was enough to . supply the wholo of . the. North Island, and there was no reason why the towns from Gisborne to Wellington should not be; supplied: The Government had been considering, the' matter, and had decided to make ti move,' and if the people showed that they wanted the power they: would probably, get. it. The matter of the , harnessing of Waikiiru Moana had been' mentioned to; the . Minister- recently, and he;_ had considered that it should be a nationalmatter. -. - '

Captain Preece, of the local, chamber,, gave figures showing the extent of tLe lake, which, :he pointed out, was liflOft. above sea-level.' The horse-power.avail-able was. about 140,000, and that would be more than capable of supplying .the towns alone the line, including Wellington. Waikare-iti, also, provided extra power, and this, power, when generated,; would supply- the flaxihill&,' : timbor mills,and every other industry in. the islandit necessary. - Palmerston was-140 miles from the lake, but,, in America, the power was carried as far as 800 miles. After further: discussion, tlie following motion, proposed by Mr.. G. H. Bennett and seconded by Captain Precce, was carried- . ■ ' . . "That the' Chambers of Commerce of iisborne, .Napier,- Wairoa, .Hastings, Waipawa, Daiinevirke, Woodville, Pahia.ia, Feilding, and Palmerston and intervening towns, > and Wellington' be requested. to-take-.part in. a conference , to push forward ilie - proposed scheme i for utilising tho ivater-power available at A'aikare Moan*, such conference to be held-in Palmerston on October 12." It was left io the Palmerston Cham- ' .or.'.to make till arrangements, v -