WATER POWER.

Dominion, Volume 4, Issue 990, 3 December 1910, Page 10

WATER POWER.

.{S- —'— ft FURTHER DISCUSSION IN PARLIA- >; v; : - WENT-' HUTT SCHEME. - A REPORT BY , MR. RICHARDSON. 1 POSITION OF WELLINGTON CITY. Hi'.' 1 •'!«- ■''■/.■■ t Speaking in tie House of ReproEcnta[fetives, yesterday, during: the Public j;: Works debate,My:r-Wilftrd, M.P. for, jj/Hutt, and also Mayor, of: .the city, «;made an,important stateinent ? as to the position : of 'the city' of Wellington in to taking'powor from tho .pro-. jV posed Ilutt State hydro-elcctrio works. JK ;;"Mr;Y,Wpf6rd prefaced his remarks >y by/, stating \tkat hp had instructed .Mr. p}Richardson, the: ■ City. Electrical;. lin,gineor, to ..supply-a'report 011 the -sub-. ject.; - His .instructions, to him, were' i; ; ."The . city requires from you caution." ; He 'had assumed the correctness . of pMr.;/Holmes's; figures. for the cost of generation, stations, equipment, sinkjjiing/funds, . and interest/ and had also f assumed that the -supply would: bo and that, the. city would ■ not ItnoiSd an emergency, plant, and- the sale I;:; price of, the. current; would be uniform.. . Where Mr. Birks Erred. j- In.the course of'his .report",- Mr. j./:'-Richaidson had stated that Mr. Birks f-jgaTO.'the,power, installed, in tho Welf iington (lighting station at 2500 kilo-r-watts, whereas it was / 3500, which fi'-would: brings down' the • capital outlay li'per'kilowatt frdm £87 to'£62.; 'It must fc/be.,noted that these figures included'the pcapitsl cost of. the whole: scheme,: which' the wrong basis;on which to com : 1 ■ pare the costs of a water-power scheme tho current in bulk, and: a :|;gpnerating and distributing system such / adopted in. Wellington.'. • Other I; figures quoted in the same table showing iithe freiatiyo position of Wellington and r'; ; Dunedin"; in'' regard' to the electrical ' L'.shergy. supply, arid ;revenue, obtained jft-are 'sp tabled as to be quito misleading. Mr. Richardson pointed out f'rih'at' >Mr. Birks's. estimates as to the » amount of current the Government Cjwould. bo ablo. to ; disposo of to. confe'aumers and for its own use for the year V. 1M5 { ' differed '- materially from his v' 'estimates. . 1: . . ■ . . . Mr. Mr. ilv : -K/i.r- V■ Birks's. Richardson's. /•-Tramways ,: 6,100,000 7 6,000,000 . jffi-Pumping/. 3,960,000 ./;.'• 396,000 f-J'Harbour.. '1,188,000 '"■,'.'■ J:'.T ' ! (-/Railway'sliops ' 330,000 . :-' ■ ' / Motor/ power ... '8,850,000. 2,016,000 Lighting}'private' . 2,020,000 . 2,527,000 fci' Lighting streets •'. x . ... .' .;aiid track ... ~575,000. , 3,221,000 •••. •'Heating and -' v ' ~ cooking ...... 4,620,000 ... 546,000 . p.- : .Totals . 27,635,000 ': 12,483,000 Question of Prices. - |;5| Mr.;: Richardson,. in ,the course . of; !sfuftl£er : .remarks, • said that. . upon tho'? 'Mr.'Birk's prices, there .would-; pJb&:Mibssi; ; of?£23,B37 .which showed the firates;: : h'6';pfoposed -. W.ere unsound. ' The. ;• •/different 'rates-at which he (Mr:-Rich--jjardson) : -/'/Corisidered ' the corporation \ should pay for its current, also the rates'. gibe/consumers' should bo charged durfirst'/few years of tho scheme ('would be in '■/'/,'.. • Pre- / feil; , P-jirclisss-Selling sent avg. I f iiigcost. price, -price. . 1 , d d d pTxaiiiways..<:v;,;~i...... 0.41',,. 1.214 - 1.214 bPnmping;^: : ';'........... ()-50 ■ 2.000 2.000 &MotOi^&irer":ii^'/2.000'' ' 2.500 - KHeatihg and;dooking 0.87 1.500. : 1.500 ' I'-Private lighting , ... 1.00, 6.000 / G.2G9 r Sh-eet . lighting ... 0.83 .: 4.000 '4.000 | Tr,ack.lighting.. 1.00 . 3.500 3.500 : ! 1..; This.'w'oiild.give, said Mr. Richardson, ••iihS' Gbyernment an income from the i'34,'55870r. an averago of ~C6d. 'ftfer.'uniti.Mr. Holmes's estimato was : .6 pence. In 'his report Mr. : Holmes v : gave as his estimate,, tho, 'following . an-, t'BUaj -'charges . incurred by tho' Qovdriipineht' in supplying powerlnterest at' |v 4( per-: cent., £16,880; -sinking fund-pat' f'l per 'cent., £4220; ' maintcuahco, F£4000: depreciation,- - £6280; : running i costs', £6620: total, £38,000. , v ; V-. ■■■ V ' "As it will be reasonable for : the ;i.Gi)Vernme'nt to'fdi^ect! revenue - from, fother' -'lopal'vautllßrities- apart from ;its -/own .- requirenjeiits it seems to .• mo," : : iMr,,.Richardson,'; ''that:the.finan-; ; facial success l of v tie' figures ■' quoted -'by • Jiim' (Mr.- Holmes) is assured.""'. . ~ . What tho City Will Require : Mr. .Wilford went on to sav that Mr.. S- Ri6hardson v -now.; proposed 'to introduce, static .transformers. at the converter j/'statioh -instead alternator system, t. which would result in a saving of 1 a £14,000.' Could -the city buy t-;the turroiit at'a pricfe to pay .the public ii'and-.meet the-scrapping of ' its_ two j- electrio" stations ?■ MrV; Holmes,' said th'o afford'. to "pay '"'.6 d. ';: per 1 Bnit: for current. .Mr. Richardson said tibe 'eity - could pay '.6fsd. per. unit;.-'. The Icity- would .requiro .12,483,000; units, per I'jca'r:'in.five' years' tiffio. This, at .66d.. rwoiild -mean . £3-1,558. The annual bchargesVin'curred by the- Government-in j.Bupplying power under the-Hutt scheme rwas .£38,000, of which, as he,had Said, (¥£34;558: w'ould;.conie from the city;;. At (i J ..66d..:','p6r ; unit" for 12,483,000 units [■■thoicity. would-make- £4049 profit per t annirih|. besides' providing £4777 for wipiing ofi the cost' of tho power' station, fahdiihe lighting, station and machinery. §At -tho end of 22 years the profit, would f ; ]iive;increased,.; and the for. r'.'scrapping" would no longer be needed. fV-si'.'lfi" added Mr. ; Wilford;'. "the Govcan . guarantee us a scheme f Tinder, which .We" will gfet'a regular sup- 1 jjply of current at a profitable rate, and t without ,tbo necessity.. for, maintaining. p:an'emergency plant, I 'will ask tho City f Council to enter into a contract'with; tho (! Government to go ahead'.' For myself, jflv believe .'that 'the Hutt- scheme is sec66ild,;'tb; nono—not exoopting' the. Lake ; ;Coleridge scheme. Given the: two esscn-jtials-I'nave.riamod will bo prepared ! 'to: join: as..partnerswith tbo ;Govern--5 inent, in ■ what I '£ beiieyo v will • be a good I. . Remarks by Mr. Uuko. fe>;Mr, .Luke (Wellington Suburbs) said j'the : figures submitted 1 - by Mr. Wilford i should be of great yaluo to the Minis|ter,, lilr.. Richardson had the full coni'ifidehco' of the City Council and the f citizens. He believed Wellington could tyery;- .well, take .its supply of .eleotric hcurrent from ; tbc Goveriimeiit,. if ; . it f could be got at .66 penco as stated by ! Mr. Birks. .Tlve cost of the land, buildLingS) 'and-plant ..of the . city tramway [lighting and power, works was £275,000 r—an. important factor to be considered yn? deciding -whether the city should buy ! ; its. current .froin tho _ Government, : or jiiontinuo. to generate • it by steam. ['-'Remarks'-by. tho Hon. B. M'Konzie. with the Hutt sche'mo in the ! course of. his; remarks the Hon. R. J'M'Kenzie (Minister for Public Works) i'eald that when , tho .'Government . pro--posals - came -down, Mr. AVilford was !: very- sceptical. There might .be a few in Mr.-Birks's figures. In ' regard to tho'Hutt- scheme, as in other i-'casos tho.lino Would have to be duplicated: ■: -No. doubt in a few years the S'-tki.ivers at-.Makuri would be developed, End tile two powers connected. . In a f great many places .existing steam f-plants were kept to assist. Ho believed }'it would pay tho Wellington Corporation to keep .. their powerhouses. Wherever there was a steam- plant .it should be maintained for. a few-' years. -'When the Hutt schemo was being, con- :' sidered. he: hoped Mr. Wilford -would

be tho Mayor, and if lie wero Minister for Public; Works ho would bo pleased to negotiate ,011 tho most friendly terms. There , was a splendid market ill- connection; with the Hutt scheme. . . - Mr. Buchanan asked if . the possible* risk of destruction of the proposed dam at tho Hutt by earthquako had cropped up. ' 1 V Tho Minister,, said ,it wqs .not feared that'tho dam would be liable to destruction in that way. -. • .. ■• -