The Daily News. FRIDAY, AUGUST 13, 1920. ECONOMY OF HYDRO-ELECTRICITY.

Taranaki Daily News, 13 August 1920, Page 4

The Daily News. FRIDAY, AUGUST 13, 1920. ECONOMY OF HYDRO-ELECTRICITY.

A most complete indictment against the go-slow policy of the Government in relation to carrying out the Dominion hydro-electric scheme was contained in the address delivered by the Minister of Public Works (Hon. J. G. Coates) at the opening of the conference of electric power boards on Tuesday. It may be assumed that the Minister did not intend his remarks to bear that aspect, but in face of his statement that the annual saving that would ensue by 'the substitution of electric current for power produced by coal, wood, and oil would amount to £3,810,000 a year, while making electric power available for domestic sweeping and washing, electrochemical manufactures, steel smelting, limestone crushing, and a hundred and one such industries, would result in a gross saving to the public of quite double that amount, fully justifies the interpretation we have placed on his argument. Here is a Minister calmly proclaiming that owing to the delay in the completion of the long-promised provision of bydro-electric power, the public are losing about eight millions sterling a year, and are likely to do so for some years to come. Moreover, it is quite clear that had the electric scheme been even reasonably expedited, there would have been no shortage of coal, the normal consumption of which is 2,500,000 tons a year, worth over £6,000,000. Of this coal from twenty to twenty-five per cent, is absorbed by the railways and coastal shipping, and probably another 25 per cent, in domestic fires, gasworks, and in direct heating, which can k done

more economically by coal fuel than by hydro-electric power, leaving about ..onehalf, or 1,250,000 tons (worth over £3,008,000), which is directly replaciable by electric power. In addition the firewood which can be replaced, and particularly the labor in getting and cutting such wood on the farm, is probably worth £250,000 or more. When it is contended that Mr. Parry's scheme for the North Island system was estimated to cost only seven millions, but at present prices would invoke an outlay of over ten millions, it will be seen that the whole expenditure could be recouped out of the saving by electricity in a little over twelve months. In the face of these figures it is truly extraordinary how great is the present and how unjustifiable is the delay wMch has taken pl.tce. Admitting that the cost of the scheme as mentioned above only includes the outlay necessary to carry the transmission lines to the main centres of distribution, and that the annual expenditure of an equal amount will be involved in the process of distribution, which will probably have to be borne locally by the various power boards, the loss caused by postponing operations is still extremely large, and yet 'the amount provided in the Budget for this work is a mere bagatelle, giving an important indication of the length of.time that must elapse before the public derive any material benefit from the scheme. Under ordinary circumstances the effect of this go-slow policy would be very serious, but in the present period of high cost of living and heavy taxation burdens, it is particularly galling to know that several millions a year are being wasted through slowness or inaction—a curious travesty on the doctrine of economy that is continually being preached. It is to be hoped the Government may be brought to view the matter in this light, and stimulated to enter upon a prompt and vigorous development of hydro-electric current. There is one other important matter mentioned by the Minister that should be of interest fro Taranaki residents. When referring to the necessity for dividing the Dominion into correct electric power areas, Mr Coates stated:

"The district should include both town and country areas, but should have a district community of commercial and industrial interests. The country districts should be included with, the towns through wliich their produco is sold and their necessities purchased, and the whole of the back country trading through any one centre should be included with that centre. The boundaries must be designed to foster.and encourage this natural community of trading interests."

This arrangement is one that would be ideal for Taranaki, and would fit in well with the scheme of the New Plymouth Borough Council, while it justifies strong representations being made to the Government in favor of assisting to push" forward that scheme so that it may be made available for the province at the earliest possible date. Hitherto few except those concerned in the hydro-electric scheme have realised the full extent of the loss caused by the failure to provide cheap electric current. Possibly in the light of Mr. Coates' statement the public will be aroused to a sense of the loss suffered, i