MANGAHAO POWER

Dominion, Volume 13, Issue 225, 17 June 1920, Page 6

MANGAHAO POWER

f WAIRARAPA'S SHARE

AN ASSURANCE FROM THE MINISTER

f' '' Members of tho Wairarapa Hydro- !..'■:' Electric Power'' Board- interviewed the

c. Minister of Public Works (Hon.- J. G. | : -Coates!) yesterday and nsked for an as- |' iurance that their district would get ( . V. ; ft share of the power from the Mangahao installation. Mr. A. D. M'Leod, : V.M.P., and Mr. G. B. Sykes; M.P., a<> ".-compnnied the deputation. • Tho Engi- : (Mr. B. W. Holmes) and |? the Chief Electrical Engineer (Mr. L. 1.-. .-;■■. BirkßD were present. Mr* H. F. TooI 7 > good,' consulting engineer to. the Waira- !'.-:•' rapa board, was also present. i ;• Mr.'-'M'Leotl said, that in replying to J--.--: a deputation recently the Minister had l-} .given some figures showing the pro< i;.;■': *i- jposed allocation of power from the ;■ -Mangahao installation.-The figures had j" .-.:'''' appeared to show that the Wairarapa !;" .;■'district was to get no power at all. The [■ ■_.- i'district .had set up a power board and :;''was considering a local power scheme, j/.; '"but it was not yet in a position to say f.-. v; -confidently that the local scheme j.'.' r^iwould bo a success. The Wairarapa

K .. ,upeople, in any case, felt that they were !;'v r | entitled to a sharo of the Mangahao f-.l"; 'power. fj- ; > ■>■/. Mr. Moore, chairman of the Waira- :, : rapa Power Board, said that the board :'; ]iad in hand a scheme -which it'believed [' i would prove a good scheme. It was f' advised.by its engineer that it could j ~,-; develop its own scheme and sell the ,; 'power to the consumers at (he standard i '-'.'H-v Government rates. But if tho board l ; -, : . .-saw a reasonable chance of getting the j'' >; ''same amount of power from the Gov-' ;,, eniment installations at Mangahao and [■'■' „ Waikarembana within three years, it !■: would take that power and drop .its r ■''.-'vlocal scheme. The board could then •/,'!,':. proceed with the erection of transmis- !' sion lines. The Minister bad said that j;\ ..the Government scheme might bo comi'.' -.""pleted in three venrs. I■-'■ • Mr.-Coates: That depends upon tho I ; supply of equipment and other factors. '.'Knowing the difficulties in -regard to t..; machinery and material,-I don't think |~..!"' it 'would be wise for me to give;a defi1, ■ _;nite- estimate of the time required to f.',. ! Tcbmplete- the works.. I want more inly, formation'than I'now posers before 1 t -'can say confidently when the schemes L ■'}■.:■■'. will be completed. S: ; .i' ; '.:.:.Mr.\Moore added that the Wairarapa :—.i board was advised bv its engineer that !';'■ it .-could; develop 4000 horse-power with*' }-"'.. ~ in : three years. He believed that there i; >was an immediate market in the disj -,:;:_ trict for 2000 horse-power. The deci« '<■ ■'■^-'(sion-as to the prosecution of this scheme ;' ?s; depended upon the Minister's answer. :'.-'.' i' Mr. Martin eaid he -was doubtful ) s&; about the completion of the Wnikare- ;.. ■ moana scheme within three years. !', ... Mr. Coates: I -did not say three years. I : '., - If we can get money and materials, we .'Can.completo. the Mangahao and Wai- ! :.;■■■■ karemoana schemes in three or four ;'.. years. But many-things are uncertain'. r i;.have not given a definite period. C; '.-.; -.Mr....Sykes urged that the Wairarapa v.. 'district was entitled to a 'Jarr share of i . ' the Mangahao power;

:'•->'•• Mr. Coatos replied that allocations of ! poorer at present were provisional. If i. s * the. full amount of power to be de> i ' Veloped at Maneahao was available at ! '■'.:■■ present, it could not he used. The I ~.'■' allocations would exceed immediate to- | : quirements, and that being so, the enI : pineers had; a margin on which to work. ;.: The figures that, he had quoted to an

'; ; . earlier deputation had not ( been' com- [ plete, and he could supplement- them \'l now by quoting the following alloca- [: . tions, based upon population, for tho N '.*; Wellington, Manawatu, and Wairarapa f ':'?'';"districts: !■.*-■•' . ( . Popula- Horse- !'■ 'SJ v lion, power. i Wellington City 84,049 12,000 '■■ Hutt Valley 20,750 2,100 ';. Otaki sub-station 8.331 . 900 ;. », Shannon sub-station ... 18,725 2,000 ; '"Bunnythorpe sub-sto,-i. .tion '..'....-. ........'..... 27,080 " 2,800 [•■ Dannevirke substat." tion'. 10,591 1,100 <:. ■ ,/>Eketahuna 8,247 900 i : ~. Masterton. 21,028 2,200 r -."''"' "''': '"'■'■■ 198,807 • 24,000 j'.'.,'■■■ The engineers, added Mr. Coatos, had i : 'no doubt at all that when the Manga- ' ihao scheme was completed they would j, .'■■'.' be able to supply all tho power that ! A,™ 3 , needed immediately and carry on j ~^7until the. Waikaroinoana scheme came . ':' into operation It had not been intend- |- : .,,ed. to leave out any part of the Wairaf >'''''■ rapa district, but he had not been able j ■■.•: .to give tho complete figures to the first '"'"depntationr Mr._ Coates added that members of Parliament and others in- ; terested in the scheme had visited Mangahao lately, and he had been glad ' ,to'"learn.'that they believed the work !■ 'Was being" tamied on (satisfactorily. i [Anything that the Public Works Depart- >■:.. ment could do-to hasten hydro-electric !>?'■' development would be done. The pre- !'.. ■ pafation of estimates, the collection of !'-. . material and so forth, were matters of -'ja'-.-daily routine, and the importance of ; I tho schemes was not being overlooked £• -for, a .moment by the Department or V.:!;,'.;.the. Government.,. >