HYDRO-ELECTRIC POWER,

Dominion, Volume 10, Issue 3008, 20 February 1917, Page 6

HYDRO-ELECTRIC POWER,

DISCUSSED BY BUSINESS. MEN.

At yesterday's meeting ol the Cenirar Chamber of Commerce an invitation was received to send delegates to a conference to be held, at Palmerston Novttv on. Thursday nest "to consider' a hydro-electric scheme for the Wellington Provincial District." Referring to this communication, the chairman (ITr. O v M._l/uke) said that hydro-electrics was'going in the future to oxerfc an influence in this country greater than, any other power. When they were faced with the.war they had to '.'hold back a 'Jittle, but everything; could not stand in abeyance because of the war. Business generally had been maintained as good as' ever it was. ; Mr.-L. , A..Edwards: "A record—abBolutely. a reiord!" . : Continuing Mr. Luke said that they could not be expected to wait whilst other districts went ahead, especially the Canterbury district, which, with the Lake Coleridge scheme, was enjoying a great boon. 'As to the relative merits of any schemes he did not think they should express themselves, as it was purely amatter for experts. That was to say whether they approved of a big scheme from Lake WaikareMonna to serve tl\e whole of the lowerhalf of the North Island, or one to serve only Wellington" and Palmerston North—that must be decided by those with the technical knowledge. He would like to say that when the question of harnessing this , ereat power was before the Legislative Council he probably had more tb'sa'y about it than any member of the Chamber, but in its technical aspect they had to be guided by experts. He thought they might pass a resolution approving of the action of Palmerston North, and impressing on the Government that something should be done. Mr. L. A. Edwards pointed out that by doing that they might be approving- of tho sectional idea Palmerston North was proposing. "No one," said he. "who had had the experience 'of passing through the States as he had recently could help being struck with the enormous uses that hydroelectric power was put to. One had only to visit the Canadian side of .tho Niagara mid , sno the vast number of factories that are there all denendant on tho scheme. Here in New Zealand they had unlimited power running to waste, and it meant everything to an industrial country. As to the anestion'of transmitting power over a long or shorter distances, that was a mattpi- for thr- oxn?rf-. " Mr. A.- Leigh Hunt thought they mWit adopt "the general principle. "The Government had been like the do"in the mmiger. U won't , do the job itself and won't allow private enterprise to take a hand," he added. , A non-committnl reply, anprovinft, Jiowever. of t.lip urgency for tlie establishment of- n scheme, is to bp forwnrdpd to Po'merston K" T Hi.and the president and vice-president wore deputed to,frame a memorandum to be sent to the Government and City Council on .the same important subject.