MANGARAO.

Otaki Mail, Volume 26, 2 April 1919, Page 4

MANGARAO.

TvrfV EVAN PARRY’S SCHEME. • In a farewell interview with a <;New Zealand Times” reporter, Mr Evan Parry, who lias just resigned the position in' duel electrical engineer for yeV Zealand, stressed the importance

of pushing on as speedily as .possible with tlie 'work of hydro electric development, in view of the great problems of repatriation and reconstruction non confronting the country. If the men fiml i Vie monev were available, lie

urged, tjic three -Norlll Island power stations —at Mangalmo, Arupuni, and Waikaremonna should l'ovtli'vith be proceeded with simultaneously. Given the men and the money required, he said, it would be possible in three yours’ time to get a 10,000 horse-power plant; working at each of these centres and to do much of the linking-up; and [ t<, develop from that up to the total of | 1(50,000 horse-power tit present planned I for would be a matter of gradual

grou ih us the demand for power increased. In three years a similar start could lie made in the South Island. Urgency of the Mangaliao Scheme. ‘‘But/’-said Mr Parry, “if you have

not enough mail to go on with the three v„it!i Island stations at the same lime, then Ihe right thing to do is to couc.eutnire on the Mangaliao scheme, because the "demand for power is mure urgent here., particularly in Wellington City, than in any other parts.of the island. In Wellington you have two power-

houses. with no room for extension at either, “and-both of them already working right up to the limit. If. however, ihe men and the money are to hand tor l!,c niire,-, schemes, all three should be proceeded with at once.' Yon could not expedite the work at Mangaliao by' putting more than a certain number of men on the job; and my estimate of 'ttfM'O Years for developing 10,000 horsepower at each of the three centres is bused on the supposition that you have ail the men and all the money required -for developing each and all of the schemes as expeditiously and as economically as possible. In Wellington City ~,1,1 suburbs about (3000 horse-power are now being used for the tramways and the electric light undertakings, so th-M of the 10,000 horse-power developed in the first instance at Mangaliao. 4000 would be left for industrial concerns and so forth. Big towns like Palmerston Xorth and Wanganui, which have ntf local sources of hydro-electric supply, would also be dependent upon Mangaliao; and that is an additional reason for pushing on with that scheme as quickly, as possible. In the case of Wellington, of course, if you do not get the Mangaliao power supply, voitr City Council will be faced, in the interests of economy, with ,ne necessity for replacing the two existing power stations with a single station better located with regard to the facilities for obtaining coal and water. But. if you get the hydro-electric supply, then the present electric-lighting station will be ample for a stand-by station, though some readjustment would, of course, be required.