The Daily News. SATURDAY, JUNE 5, 1920. ELECTRIC POWER FOR TARANAKI.

Taranaki Daily News, 5 June 1920, Page 4

The Daily News. SATURDAY, JUNE 5, 1920. ELECTRIC POWER FOR TARANAKI.

The conference of delegates at Stratford on Wednesday, relative to the proposed establishment of a power board for Taranaki, was unfortunately marked by a divergence of views and some misconceptions. The proposal emanated from Mr. Wright (Egmont County Council), who certainly placed the matter before the meeting clearly and simply. He based the project of a power board on the fundamental fact that the source of power controlled by the New Plymouth Borough Council, supplemented later on by power from Arapuni, was sufficient ta supply the requirements of the whole of Taranaki. With that as a starting point, he advocated the formation of a power board so that the New Plymouth Borough Council would be induced to take in hand and carry out its complete scheme and sell power to the board. To that end he moved that a power district should be formed in Taranaki, and the various local bodies should be asked to contribute to the cost of obtaining a report as to whether an adequate source of supply was available within the province, together with cost of installation and transmission. Manifestly the local bodies referred to did not and should not include New Plymouth borough, as it is already satisfied that in the water of the Waiwakaiho it has ample power for developing electric current for its own area as well as for j Taranaki generally, at any rate until such time as the outside Government power is available. The proposal before the meeting was one that practically invited the public bodies in the province to unite in a common effort to provide a need of such urgency that the question of cost is a secondary, though none the less an important, consideration. The partial failure of coal supplies has awakened the settlers and the dairying companies to the necessity of having hydro-electric power. The Mayor of Stratford, in seconding the motion, appeared, possibly unintentionally, to cast a doubt on the New Plymouth scheme, by mentioning that "as far as he could see the Government experts appeared to treat the New Plymouth scheme as a bit of a joke." This statement brought the Mayor of New Plymouth (Mr. J. A. Clarke) to his feet. The tone of the meeting was at once disturbed, and instead of there being a concentration of effort to forward a scheme for supplying much needed electric power from a source that can and will be available in the near future, discussion arose on the question of profit. A power board ean either eonstruet works for generating electricity by water or steam, or it can purchase power for distribution. Control of prices is in the hands of the Government, so there need be no Jiear of profiteering on the pare

of the New Plymouth borough. The New Plymouth Borough Council has ample power for its own requirements, but is willing to embark on a larger scheme if the other parts of Tarauaki so desire. It is an open secret that the New Plymouth Council can dispose of considerable power to a customer anxious to start a big industry in the town, an offer having been received to finance Mr. Blair Mason's scheme in its entirety, provide the technical staff to carry out the work, and enter into an agreement to take a very considerable amount of current for a number of years-. it is an attractive offer, for its .acceptance would save the Council a great deal of trouble and work, and be productive of a substantial profit. It would also lead to the establishment of a very important industry in the town. Of course, were the contract entered into, there would be no current available for the rest of the province. If it were actuated by the selfishness that some of the speakers at ■Wednesday's conference attributed to it, the New Plymouth Council would at once accept the'offer, but very wisely, we think, it has delayed committing itself until it has ascertained the wishes and requirements of the neigh boring districts. Clearly New Plymouth can progress only if the rest of Taranaki progresses and it is to New Plymouth's own interests to reserve its surplus electric current for the province rather than dispose of it to one concern. The New Plymouth delegates gave the meeting a clear indication that the Council was prepared to sell the current to the outside places as soon as it was available. But the feeling seemed to be that the New Plymouth scheme should be nft'onalised. To pursue this policy will only lead to delay and futility. The price ■.hat has to be paid for current really is the only matter that need concern the outside districts, and as this is entirely in the hands or the Government they need have no fear whatever as to having to pay undue tribute to New Plymouth. "What they should concentrate upon is getting the Government to erect the transmission lmes, as part of the big national, scheme, or else finance the work themselves. Stratford, Eltham, Hawera, and Patea, and the' intervening districts, can all be served by the one line, which can link up with the line New Plymouth is constructing to Inglewood. There is no doubt whatever about the Waiwakaiho scheme being sufficient to serve the whole of Taranaki for many years to come, and v.'<; would like to see all concerned working and pulling together with a view to having cheap power available for the rest of the province in the course of the next year or two. It can be done, and should be done.