THE BASIN RESERVE BOWEN FALLS POWER

Dominion, Volume 10, Issue 3197, 22 September 1917, Page 10

THE BASIN RESERVE

BOWEN FALLS POWER

CENTRAL AGREEMENT RENEWED. At the fortnightly meeting of the City Council held on Thuiuiiav, it was decided on the recommendation of the Reserves Committee, and without any discussion to renew the agreement with the Wellington Cricket Association for the control of the Basin Reserve on the same terms and conditions (except Clause 7) as contained in tic expiring agreement, for a further term of three years from September ID, 1917. The deleted clause provided that the corporation should purchase from the association all its plant and material at a price to bo fixed by agreonienft, the amount to be set off against' the first year's contribution from the association. The principal clauses in the new agreement provide that the association shall pay lo tho corporation in lieu of ground fees the sum of J3175 per annum by four monthly payments of <£13 155.; tho association shall not receive in ground fees from clubs or players in nny season in respect of the Basin Reserve a sum greater than ,£175 por annum, or, if it does receive any amount above that, the surplus shall'belong to tho corporation;-tho corporation to lUive the ritrht to allocate on the portion of the Bnsin Reserve lying to the eastward of Hie main drain such wickets for boys' cricket as it thinks fit; a committer to be appointed to decide as to the fitness of Hie ground for cricket; on days on which charges are made for admission to crickct mutches on the Basin Reserve the corporation to collect the gate receipts, and after deducting 10 per cent, of the same and gateman's wages to pay over the balance to the association; so long as the present pavilion stands (he association to l-o entitled to Ihe lakini'S therefrom,- if during the currency of the agreement a new pavilion be erected the corporation to have the .Tight to modify the n>-o-yisions with regard to tho pavilion takings.

AND THE NITRATES PROJECT,

Begardinj the statement made in tho House of Representatives by the Minister of Public Works (the Hon. \V. l'raser) regarding the project for utilising the water power running to waste at Milford Sound, to the effect that the proposed scheme was only one to sell the warerpower rights to Americans, Air. J. Orchiston, who happened to be the ono who took up the: project and went thoroughly into it as one in which science '.onld do bo much to benefit the country and the nation, staites that there is not the slightest ground for alarm on tne part of the Hon. Mr. Froser or Mr. E. Parry. All that the syndicate desired to d» v.-as to utilise power that was now goini; to waste by manufacturing something from tho air, which this and every go-ahead country on tho face of the earth needed, viz., nitrates. Tho Minister had rot given any credit to anyone for the idea that there was a vast source of miexploited power of great potential value in these fells, but assumed a dog-in-the-nianger attitude l)y stating that it would not be advisnble to part with ffater rights to a syndicate, and yet lie eaid that the Government was not prepared to do anything at present. That was to say, thes Government or at least the Hon. 31r. Firaser was not disposed to a'.low anyone to use profitably what was now going to waste, and would be .?oing to waste for years to come. The notion that tho power could be used for other purposes was a led-herring—the falls are situated in too inaccessible a part of New Zealand- to provide power in the ordinary way for industrial purposes in settled portions of the South Island. The cost of a transmission line to any town or city would be enormous, aud the wastage very great when it w.as »rei:ted. In order to "test the sincerity of the syndicate, 'the Minister could very easily insist tibat all persons or shareholders in the eompany should bo bona-fide residents ol: the country, and that no foreigner wh.-itsoever should be concerned in the project. The Government has full power to make what conditions it likes, but to refuse to allow the syndicate to institute a now industry of vital iced to the Umpire and country scarcely savoured of the desire to promote t'hat efficiency and national independence one would, expect from Ministers of Urn Ciwti at .such a time in the history of New Zealand. As proof of the urgency of tho need of tho products, the syndicate propose to turn out, with the aid of power from the Bowen Falls, two big steam plants have been established in England during the last year to do similar work at a cost far in excess of what it >vould cost in Miiford Sound. After all, what was the use of our great national resources if they were not utilised. Australia was now exporting iron to England. Who would have imagined eucli a tiling possible five years ago?