WATER POWER

Dominion, Volume 10, Issue 3196, 21 September 1917, Page 6

WATER POWER

FOR PRODUCTION OF NITRATES THE MILFORjD SCHEME POLICY OF, THE GOVERNMENT A question relating to tho development of the big water-power scheme at Milford Sound for tho extraction of nitrates from the air was asked in tho Houso of Representatives yesterday. Mr. E. Newman asked the Minister of Agriculture whether his attention had been drawn to the address lately delivered py Air. Orchistou, Chief. Telegraph Engineer, with reference to a scheme for tho extraction of nitrates from the air on Tines similur-to schemes now in operafion in Norway, Germany, Italy, America, and England. Air. Orchistou mentioned that, hydro-electric power could be developed at 'l'e Anau, South Island, at about =E5 per horse power, as compared with ; iB2O at Niagara. That power coukl be developed to produce ,£IOO,OOO worth of,products per year, and business on this scale would pay dividends of 100 per cent. A company, had been formed to work the power, but the Government Tiad up till now not consented to tlia scheme. Mr. Newman ■ asked- whether ti'?j Government, if it could not utilise the water power, would consider the advisability of allowing a private company to acquire the rights, making provision that eventually the property might fall into the hands of the Government.

_ The Hon. W. D. S. Mac Donald (Hinih?3r of Agriculture) said that he had been in communication with Mr. Orchiston, and had obtained from him a very great deal of data. When an opportunity occurred he would submit all the papers to Cabinet for consideration. The Hon. W. Fraser (Minister of Public Works) said that the application lmd come to him in the first instance, and he would answer the question, as his Department dealt with the development of water-power for electricity. According to an Act passed by Parliament some yeaTs ago, it was decreed that the water power'of the Dominion was to be retained for the Government, and was not' to be given to private individuals, except in certain cases where it could not be used for general purposes over a whole district. In small localities, or in the case of small streams, exception mTght be - made and concessions granted to municipalities. This scheme, however, was a'very big thing—one of the biggest in' the Dominion—and when It was submitted to hiin he at once turned it down. He wrote to state that he considered that this was such a scheme as Parliament had decided should not be granted to any private company. Subsequently he submitted the matter to Cabinet, and Cabinet approved of his decision. Since then there had been a constant agitation to have his decision reversed. He had no fear that the Government would do this, and he felt sure file House would support him in ■ the action he had taken. It was such a very big scheme that it should not be allowed ,to pass out of the control of the Government. Before the application had been made he had been for some time past in consultation with Mr. Parry, the Elecficai "Engineer of tho Department, who brougxTt the Lake Coleridge scheme to such success, on the very subject- of lining fliis power for the extraction of novates from .the air. He had told Hies applicants that the Government would never agree to their proposal. He Sinv, also, that .the application was being made simply ffir the purpose of acquiring thf ri^iits. and selling them out to en American Some of the dojiimenic r-ott to him were full of American phrases. .He hoped the .House would not ask the Government to part with this very valuable power, which was availabls alongside a narbour that would take tho biggest vessel afloat. He was sure that ..this power might be used for other purposes than that of the extraction of nitrates. . With this power we could do certain work in tliis'pountry more cheaply than it could 1 be done in any part of the Australian continent. There were refractory ores ill the neighbourhood tvhich required electricity for their proper treatment. If the, Government did undertake the harnessing of this power -..very . profitable industries v.-quU developed.