Water Power

Horowhenua Chronicle, 16 August 1911, Page 4

Water Power

fiU'XTIUCiTY AT A PENNY PKR UNIT. Among the passengers from Australia on Wednesday was Mr George 1). Wearn, Consul lor Sweden in Victoria, and a member of the linn of Messrs Gardner, Wearn and._ Co., manufacturers' agents. Mr W'parn. states that lie bus come to NV'W Zealand hi connection with the Government's proposal to erect waterpower generating stations at diHereof points throughout the dominion. He, as representing the General Klectrie Manufacturing Co. of Sweden, is interested, -and Avants to know all about the Government's intentions. Mr Wearn talks most interestingly on the big developments which have taken place in his own country through the. osta'blishlnont all over the realm of waterpower stations. " There are now so many stations that it is not necessary to convey the current very far. .1 fancy about 120 miles is the farthest stretch of service, and that is rather exceptional. We have a big plant at- Trolliuttan (near West era;*) capable of developing JOO.OOO horsepower, and from that station we supply Gottenbuvg. sixty miles away. Such a distance is npthing. What is it—the cost of the wire and its conduit, and a little waste energy. There are plenty cf sinallei stations dotted, over the country, and now the Government (which holds waterpower as means of generating electricity) has sanctioned the erection of a big station on Ihe Dalelfuen Kivor for the supply of the capital citv, Stockholm.

'"Water power is a groat thing if there is a market I'i.r your full load, but, it is no good erecting a. plant which develops 10,000 horse-power and you only have use for •1000. You musf hare your market, othorwi.se you will be running at a. loss.'-'

What should be the cost of current so manufactured, delivered, from a station hamlilv situated?

"Well, with a plant developing (iOOO or 7000 horse-power, where the capital cost has not been excessive, it should he possible to sell currentat Id per unit, and even less to big consumers. In Sweden, current for industrial purposes is not retailed by the unit. A person pays L'o per year per horse power, so that if a small factory or mill wanted ol) horse-power they -would pay Cot) down, and be quite sure of always getting their full horse-power day or night. It can be u-ed as long as one likes—there is no restriction as to hours for the simple- reason that the plant is developing a full load, and comparatively nothing would be saved by curtailing the hours of use.

'''Sweden has been utilising waterpower for the generation of electrical power for over 30 years, and that it is still a growing factor in our industrial, agricultural. and domestic life shows tint it is the power of the future. fn the north of Sweden--the Kiruana district-it is being used to develop the great in n deposits. There is to be an electric railway 000 miles in length to bring the ore down to the sen-coast, and electric furnaces to smelt it. " Our farmers use electricity for thrashing, chaff-r-utting, etc.. and now there are big electrical plants devoted to the manufacture of artificial manure—electrical devices which extract the nitrogen from the air. and force it into the lime -in this manner making a nitrogoncus product." Mr Wearn considers that the judicious harnessing of some of our rivers will be of universal advantage to industries in New Zealand. Australia is now on the track to supplying itself with whatever it wants independent of the rest of the world, and that is what New Zealand must d'> s'ome. dav. He was aware that ear labour laws did not give the industries much of a chan-o to develop. and in that connection said tliat electrical power wa< a great -'iovuser of manual la'hr.ur-il eoii!:l be made to do almost •■ nything. -T> > nd-ninn