WATER POWER.

Gisborne Times, Volume XIX, Issue 1574, 3 October 1905, Page 2

WATER POWER.

(H.B. Herald.)

The good, people of Gisborne have not been long behind those of this city in protesting against the Govern: ment’s action in omitting the Waikaremoana outlet from their plans for developing the water power oftliis colony. We learn from Mr Fraser that he has had several communications with the Minister for Public Works, and that the Government are still not quite decided as to the policy which they should pursue.. The cost of developing a source such as the, Huka Falls or Waikaremoana would be, of course, pretty large, and it would certainly not bo made to pay unless the whole of the power available could be made v«e of. That is the difficulty at present. Suppose that it cost £600,000 a year to pay interest on the outlay. The question is how is this interest, to be met. All the towns on this coast are lit by gas. The railways are not adapted to electrical motor power, and the cost of adapting them would be large. The same, of course, is to be said of the towns in the South. Indeed there are other difficulties in the way. JFor in Christchurch and Dunedin the tramways have an extensive driving plant which has only newly been imported and which has cost a great deal of money. In Otago and Southland, moreover,' there is a private company already in the field under a special Act of last session.

This is, of course, no objection to the movement now on foot in this town and Gisborne. All that the promoters of the movement at present want is that proper surveys and estimates should be made of the Waikaremoana source along with those of the Sjd; Huka Falls and the Hutt river. They .T' desire full data to be available so that; •] when the time comes to give some scheme a trial, there will be no doubt which will be the most, suitable. But it may be recognised that the Govern- ) ment’s position is not an oasy one, and that it will require very careful consideration before any definite stop is made. That is why we suggested tho Government railways as the proper; basis of any practical scheme. The Government cannot be expected to lay out large sums without some prospect of a speedy return. This can only come in two ways. Either the mum-, cipalities must offer to take a supply for lighting or motor power, or the railways must be electrified and used to pay interest on the outlay. No doubt ultimately both of those ways will be used, and we shall have municipal centres supplied from the main. sources from which at the same time the Government railways will draw their motive power. In the meantime all that tho Government can do is to have data collected, so that they may be able to estimate the price at which they could supply electrical power at Wellington or Napier of Gisborne. And .it would certainly not be satis? , factory unless those data covered the Waikaremoana source, which is much the most important in this island.