CAN ROTORUA HEAT BE HARNESSED ?

Rotorua Morning Post, Issue 5280, 17 December 1946, Page 6

CAN ROTORUA HEAT BE HARNESSED ?

NATURAL WATER SUPPLY . UP TO RESIDENTS.TO D'EICIDE BSUE The sinking of the latcst min- ■ eral bore behind the borough •transifc camp in Amohau Street has again proved to the citizens oi Rotorua the wondert'ul natural possibilities that the town pos3ese.es. Altliough vby 110 means novel, the point was again raised in qnite a few quarters of the town yesterday — "Why should residents of Rotorua pay for electrical and other means of h ealing when for a relatively small outlay a natural supply can be had whieh will last for all time?,, Wh«n aucstioned about his views on the scheme, the Borough Engineer, Mr. J9. B. Goodman, said that he ^ cdnsidered it to be 111 every way practicable and worthwhile. As far as he knevv, no definite steps had ■ever boen taken to put it into operaticn and 110 scheme was in the immediate ofiing. ■ "'The bemTits to householdors," he said, "are manifold. In the first place. evvvy form of h ealing at present he gains either by electricity or eoal. Naturally enough the scheme wonld ili.t use the actual mineral water itself, whieh would serve only a? a heating agent for -the normal town supply. This would be acconvpliphed .by running the fresh water through .-.pecially constructed sleeves containing the mineral water." 3C0 Private Bores in Borough By thi.s means, said Mr. Goodman, all manu er of household necessities -could tio equipped. Water and eentra1 heating, coeking boxes, dryintv pipns and hot-houses could be built. and, in cases where the householder wanted tliem, direct supplies of mineral water were available for spout and other i'orms oi" baths. Mr. G. N. Brown. the Rotorua wellborei , said that he saw 110 reason why the scheme should not work exceilently. Oue bore similav to that behind the transit camp in most cases * woi'Jdl supply a wlmle block. Thero were aiready well ove.r ."00 private bores in Rotorua and only those supplying ihe. Govhnmienl baths were working ai nnything neav capacity. TI e G« vernment Ooophysit'ist. :VIr. J. Healy, said that no detinito pians nad been made bv Ihe Government to fcivthor tio projeci. I11 any ease. he iiitiniated, the Jclieme was not oue ealling toi* Governmentul help or g-uidanee, The maitei- was one purely toi the householdi-rs theniselves to decide arai he thoughr that some vroup should set the lead. "I think the scheme is a good one," he said, "and had the State housing block at Wallace Crescent "been mere suitahly sifcuaied in regard to the underground thermal streams, li would have had no hes»taiicm in recommending that the houees be reticulated." Outlay Soon Recouped Ailhough he had 110 figures to hand irivi'u; an epproximatiou oi the cust oi the scxienu* he said that it would not be uiiduly heavv if a suiiideril aumber »if hiiusehohlers pooh-d ia. Ile es.timated that an hwtel would repa-y its hutia! eost in a very shorl time and cited the case of one Rotorua jnotel that rau a great number of utiliLies froin its bore. The ijuliai expense of sinkingothe l'Oro would approxiuiate i'100. Fhis spread over the average block oi" 2d or so honics would be comparativelj light. The installation of the piping wou'd be rather moro expensive althougb no phwnber in the town is in the position at. present to give apnroximait? iig'ures. It is appurent, hcwever, that in the aase of the average householder who pays rougldy £2 10s a month ior the 1 unning oi his electrical water licalIrtg system and fuel during tlu" winter ir.onths. tlie initial cost would be me. iu a mutter of threo or four yoars atul be would thenceforward be assurod of his natural supply unaifected by lnu-1 shortages or power breakdowns. In the ease of hotels aiu*. boarding houses, this eijuution of outlay would be reached in a ' ntuc-h ^hunter time.