HYDRO-ELECTRIC POWER

Dominion, Volume 10, Issue 3165, 17 August 1917, Page 6

HYDRO-ELECTRIC POWER

WELLINGTON'S NEEDS

GOVERNMENT URGED TO HASTEN > SCHEME \ i A representative deputation waited c upon the Prime Minister (Right Hon. W. ] F. Massey), tho Minister of Finance c (Eight Hon. Sir Joseph Ward), and tho ] Minister of Public Works (Hon. AV. i Fraser) yesterday, to urge the Govern- ] nient to hasten tho establishment of fi ( hydro-electric installation for the AVel- f lington district. The deputation em- j phasiscd tho success of the Lake Cole- \ ridge installation, which had provided , the people and manufacturers of Canter- , bury with cheap power, and asked that , no timo shoul'd be lost in making simi- ) lar provision for the Wellington- district. . Mr. T. R. Hodder, chairman of the < Palmerston North Chamber of ' Com- , merce, said that the Public AVorks De- , partment had mado an important ad- ] vance in the required direction b yecur- ; ing the excellent report, of Mr. A\. Parry regarding tho possiblo sources of supply of electric current for Wellington and tho other centres. The chambers of commerce approved generally ot Mr. Parry's suggestion, and they wished , to know if the Government approved, and if it was preparing to proceed with a scheme. They were anxious to avoid , -unnecessary delay. The close of the prefent war would be followed inevitably by severe commercial competition and the commercial and industrial interests of Now Zealand ought not to be hampered by the lack of cheap power when the rivers and lakes of the Dominion offered ample and easily-developed sources of supply. It was a very great pity that , the available power should continue to ; go to waste. The Lake Colerkke nistal- : lotion, which served an important part | of the South Island, had proved a --eat i success, and the Government ought to proceed with an installation in thy North Island' on the lines suggested by Mr. | Parry. T ~ The Mavor of AA'ellington (Jf.r. J. J-. Luke, C.M.G.) said that he had recently , paid a visit of inspection to the Lake j Coleridge installation, and ho telt no | doubt at all regarding its success, lne . Wellington municipality, which was at .present feeling a shortage of electric power, and the other interests concerned were verv anxious that the .Government should'proceed with an installation for the North Island .it the earliest possible moment. \Mnnv important industries would ho benefited greatly by tho provision of cheap power. He recognised that there were difficulties in the way of proreedin? with the work while the war continued, and the deputation did not wish to embarrass . the Government in the smallest degree But it had been stated that some of the work could he begun at once without the plant of the kind that could not be imported durin" the war period. He hoped that the Government would see that no nnnecKwirv delay occurred. Tho current should he made available as soon as possible after the close of the war. Mr F W. Manton, representing the AVellington Chamber of Commerce, said that the water-power ought not to be neglected a day longer than was necessary. The power was needed, and t>>e difficulties of finance ousht not to bo allowed to ?tand in the way. Mt. T. B. AVilliams, representing the AVnn"amii Chamber of Commerce, said that the development of the water-power was a question of national efficiency. The scheme ought to be regarded as a part of New Zealand's preparations for post-war competition, and should not be delayed. Cheap power and cheap lighting "were essential if the industries of the Dominion were to prober in the years to come, and he felt that the occasion called for a special effort. It might be difficult to provide the money required at the present time. but.the effort would be amply rewarded later. Mr. J. A. Nash, Mayor of Palmerston North, supported the other speakers. Ho said the delegates would go away satisfied if thev were told that the Government intended to. proceed with the headworks, which would take considerable time to completo, and would not. require the importation of plant. If Wellington city was to receive the power first, the centres on the AVest Coast ought to Have an assurance that their needs would not be overlooked. Mr. C. M. Luke, president of the AVellington Central Chamber of Commerce, also supported the request of the deputation. The Minister of Public Works said he had not been surprised at tho interest ' displayed by the people of the district affected

by Mr. Parry's report. The subject was a very important one, and he realised tho benefit that would accruo to tho community if the power at present running to waste was made available for industry. The Lake Coleridge installation, which had been made by the Government, had proved a very great success, and there seemed to be no reason why ••- installation that was to serve tho Wellington district should not prove similarly successful. The deputation must understand, however, that Mr. Parry's report was merely an interim .->t>, "and I feat the final report had not yet been received. The Government could not proceed prematurely with any part of tho work. The headworks were a very important oart of the scheme, and if thero was anything wrong with them (he whole installation might fail. He intended to secjro full reports from the engineers of the Public Works Department regarding the. details of the scheme. He had very little doubt that "nrrr's nvonosals would be adopted finally! but in saying that he could not commit the Government t.i proceed with the whole schemo ct the present time. It was simply a t|uestinn of finance. The Government was asking tho peopln of New Zealand to provide a sum of .£12,000,000 for war purposes, with the prospect of another war loan of .£10,000,000 six months later, and there did not seem to be much chance of obtaining monev for extensive public works. The importation of machinery was out of the question. The machinery could not bo obtained during the war. The construction of the headworks would not require much plant, but it would demand labour, and where was the labour to come from ? ne had not been nble to spend half tho money authorised by Parliament for prablic works last year, since he had not been able to secure labour. He was prepared, however, when he had received tho expprt renorfs. to see what could bo done with regard to the tunnelling and headworks. He would have all tho plans ready, so that when tho soldiers came back to New Zealand, and 'here was jilenly of labour available, the work mi"ht be nneerded with promptly. Tho Minister added that his engineering staff had been reduced by abr.u.t one-half by enlistments, and that fact constituted

another difficulty. The Minister of Finance said ho was in svmpathv with the desire of the deputation to see the water-power developed. He believed that the time would come when the railways, tramways, and factories of New Zealand would be run Vy water-power. It would be quile possible to do that, and the development nf the water-power found in most narU of New Zealand would give economic advantages of a very important kind. But he had to nmnhnsise the necessity of raisin? the million nf money required for war purposes before embarking upon big public

works. The Prime Minister said he cmud assure lh» dpnnfat'nn that Hie Government understood the importance of the pronos.ils. and was in full sympathy willi (he desire to see the water-power of \w Zealand brought into use for the benefit of the people. The Dominion was particularly well supplied with waterpower, and the current, when it was developed, could lie carried to any par- of tho country. Tho first task v,-as to end the war. "When uooof came it would be the duty of the Government to establish Hie livdro-electric installations required by tho community, and to take in hand many other important schemes.. THE CBRISTCHDRCH SCHEME AN EXPERT'S LECTURE Mr. Lawrence Birkes, engineer-in-charge at Lake Coleridgo, delivered a iecturo in tho Town Hall last evening on -"Tho Development of Hydro-Electric

Power in Canterbury." The lecture was delivered under the auspices of the City Council, tho Industrial Association, aad tho Chambers of Commerce. There was a good attendance, over which tho Mayor (Mr. .T. I'. Luke) presided. Mr. Birkes said that the history of tho development of hydro-electric power in Canterbury was of fundamental importanco and interest to tho whole of New Zealand, owing to its bearing on the corresponding developments throughput tho Dominion. The earliest practical proposal for the utilisation of hydroelectric power in Canterbury consisted of a report prepared by Mr. A. Dudley Dobson for the Christchurch City Council in 189!). The most feasible schemo he proposed was to take water from the Waimakariri Kiver just above tho Gorge Bridge by means of a short tunnel through the rocky spur forming the southern promontory of the gorge, enlarging a previously existing water-race tunnel. Then the water was to be carj'ied iu an open race five and threequarter miles in length, at the end <>i which a fall of !.oft. was available, back to the river-bed. the river falling nere about 25ft. to tho mile. The whoie scheme 1 would thus have been "-cry comparable with that now supplying the city of Dunedin from the Waipori Falls, Ixith in its engineering wd electrical features and in the difficulties involved in maintaining tho service, and was a thoroughly feasible and useful proposal for the municipal requirements. But at that stage the Government stepped in, and the whole question of electric power supply assumed a much wider sicnincance, becoming, at once a provincial instead of a -municipal matter. Tho bovwnment could run distributing feeflers pver the whole province; and electric power for operating the tramways at once and ultimately for the electrification of the railwavs had to be provided. The larger source proved to be available at Lake Coleridge. The svstem was immediately successlul, and although supply was limited to the central portion of the city, it rapidly ' grew to the capacity of power plant mI volving extensions within the second I year. Even at high retail rates of lid. i for light and 3d. for power, the demand proved so great as to. demonstrate the ur"ency of a lareer and more economical I scheme. The Christchurch City Council took control of the whole of the reI tieulalion within the city boundaries, ' purchasing the energy in bulk from the i Department, and supplying their own (transforming and distributing stations for jreta.il supply. The next largest consumers consist of three large freezing works at Islington, Belfast, and Kainnoi. After that there were flour mills, tanrerics. and fellmon.Teries, dairv factories, quarries and brickyards, and husnitals, and then, of course, the domestic supply.