WATER POWER.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume LV, Issue 249, 11 March 1913, Page 5

WATER POWER.

NEW ZEALAND'S GREAT ASSET. THE TRADES COMMISSION. By Telegraph.—Per Press Association. Wellington, Last Night. A statement was made before the , Empire Trade Commission to-day by Mr. Evan Parry, electrical engineer to the Government. lie described what had been done in other countries in the way of reserving and developing certain rights, and added that to New Zealand belonged the unique distinction of carrying out its duties ill the mutter of water power bv means of a department of the State. By virtue of recent legislation tin! duty of developing the water power of the Dominion and generating' and transmitting electricity for various purposes had been added to the other activities of the Public Works Department. The late Mr. P. S, Hay estimated the extent of the water power resources of the country at 3,700,000 horse-power. If, however, a limit could be set to the cost of development this maximum would be somewhat reduced. Considering only those sources of power which needed to be I'Cveloped to satisfy the present requirement? of the community, the capital cost of development would lie remarkable low, due to the following reasons: —(1) The use of State security in raising capital; (2) the physical features of the country, which provides natural storage and enables power to be developed a a remarkably low cost, even for small amounts of power; (3) the existence of a fully-organised department for carrying out the work. Against these advantages were the disadvantages that population was sparse, and consequently the power demand was scattered and small in the aggregate. In spite of this, however, it is believed that power could be supplied at rates lower than in any other part of the world, probably not more than £3 10s per horse power per annum when fully developed. It was true that power was supplied in some cases in Norway at £1 10s per horse-power per annum, but the circumstances were special. At the prices mentioned there was no doubt that all industries, and ultimately all railways throughout the Dominion, would lie worked electrically. TTe referred to the work already done' at Lake Coleridge, and said that the first instalment of' plant would be sufficient, to supply 4000 horse-power with (in Additional fiOOO horse-power as a stand-by. The plant had been designed to supply 10.000 horse-power with 2000 horse-power as a standby. Tt was not anticipated that the plant would pay its way until some intermediate stage was reached. The tariff was fixed on a very low scale, £6 0s per horse-power for all power up to 400 per annum, and £3 14s 7d for all \power in excess of that. I was anticipated that very considerable use would be made of cfectricitv ',' v the community.