MAKURI WATER POWER.

Dominion, Volume 4, Issue 1098, 10 April 1911, Page 2

MAKURI WATER POWER.

HON. E. M'KENZIE INTERVIEWED, • WHAT IS TO HE DONE: (By Telcgrapii.—Press Association.) Pahiatua, April 9. A deputation waited on tho lion. R, M'Kenzie, Minister for Public Works, at Pnhiatua, on Saturday night, lo urge tho early development of the Mnkuri water power scheme which, it is contended, would be 'inexpensive, and would command a largo market.

Mr. W. Wakeuian, president of the Pahiatua Chamber of Commerce, stated that, the lute Mr. Seddon had promised that this should bo one of the first schemes developed by the Government, and the people of the district would cer-> tninly have undertaken work themselves before this had the Government not conserved the water power right?. Air. M'Kcnzie, in reply, said that it was admitted that there- was sufficient power to radiiUo all round the district. The proper position to take up was to develop the scheme so as to supply tho requirements, not only of Pahiatua, Masterton, and Ekctahuna, hut also Woodvillo, and as far in the Hawko's Bay direction as Daniiuviike, and also Palmerston North.-He was satisfied that sufficient power could be developed at Makuri for many years to come, and, in, say, twenty or thirty years, when the requirements of tho population had doubled or trebled, there could lie a supplementary scheme. In undertaking the development of water power, the Government had set ils hand to a task which it intended to see through, but, of course, a largo amount of money would be involved, and tho Government wns limited at present to JSOO.OOO, of which the development of Lake. Coleridge would probably absorb half. The proper course 'for tho Chamber of Commerce, Borough Council, and County Council to follow was to confer with the local bodies concerned, and get an idea s>.s to what quantity of power they would bo prepared to tako at a (guaranteed price. A further report could then be obtained when tho engineers recently appointed viewed the stivam. Ho was satisfied, from what he knew of the Makuri scheme, that there was pood power there, and .that there was a reasonable popula : tion to use that power. The Makun scheme would not bo a costly scheme, nnd the transmission line would not be very long. Consequently wastage would not bo large.