HYDRO-ELECTRICITY

New Zealand Times, Volume XLVI, Issue 10611, 9 June 1920, Page 5

HYDRO-ELECTRICITY

“ PROSPECTS HOPEFUL ” “CONSISTENT PUSH UNTIL .WORK IS COMPLETED.” The Secretary of the Central Progress League (Colonel G. R. Mitchell, M.P.) is pleased at the iirescut developments in connection with tho hydro-electric schemes.

To a “New Zealand Times” reporter he said;—“Tho general interest that has been awakened, and the fact that vve have a now -Minister for Public Works, who 1 hope fully realises tho great -urgency of hydro-electric development, has brought before the people a new aspect in connection with the power question. The Minister has definitely promised to commence construction at Waikaremoana as soon as engineers can arrange rhe preliminaries, and w© have now the-de-finite prospect of a full supply of power wi(.hiu a reasonable time. The Napier Progress League, fulfilling its part, has secured the names of IdO men who are willing to start on tho road aud*head works construction at once, thus removing the occasion for delay on tho score of labour. There is a great deal of feeling in those districts which have not been included in the promised allocation of power from Mangahao. But now wo have something, definite about Waikaremoaua, and those in authority state that this source of supply should be available aa soon, at least, as Mangaliao, and that an allocation of 1 (one) horse-power to every five head of population will be available for tho whole of tho Wairarapa, ManawaJtu, Hawke’s Bay, Poverty Bay, au'd districts further north still, together with some 17,000 kilowatts for Wellington. This is surely a pleasing prospect, and will mean that the various small schemes proposed 'throughout the country (in despair of Government energy) will bo unnecessary. We must all now push consistently and strenuously until these big works aro completed.”