HYDRO-ELECTRIC SUPPLY.

Taranaki Daily News, 15 March 1921, Page 5

HYDRO-ELECTRIC SUPPLY.

PROPOSED POWER BOARD. NEW PLYMOUTH’S ATTITUDE. The proposal to form a power board for the whole of Taranaki was discussed at last night’s meeting of the New Plymouth Borough Council, the subject being brought up by a letter from the Taranaki Progress League inviting the council’s opinion on the question. The league’s letter cited the opinion expressed by the chief Government electrical engineer (Mr. L. Birks) in favor of one board for the whole of Taranaki. . The Mayor (Mr. F. E. Wilson) said that the whole principle of power boards revolved round the (fact that the Gov- * ernment was firmly convinced that in the very near future some new means of power must be installed in New Zealand, and they were determined to push on the hWro-electric scheme, especially in the North Island, so that every place could be conveniently connected up with the scheme. The work, however, was of such a magnitude that it could not be completed for about twenty years. The power from the Mangahao works, near Palmerston, would all be taken up by the districts in the vicinity, and it behoved the council to push on with their power scheme. They haff the opinion of Mri Birks that the New Plymouth scheme was plainly the only one which could supply power for some years to come in Taranaki, and that as far as he could judge, it would prove all that was claimed for it. Mr. Birks was satisfied that power could be developed at a cost that would make it worth while to produce. In regard to the formation of power boards, though Mr. Birks had, in the earlier portion of ms Taranaki visit, expressed himself in favor of one power board for the whole province, since his visit to the council's works he had somewhat altered his opinion, and at the meeting in Eltham a resolution had been carried in favor of the formation of a board to cover the otratford, Eltham and Whangamo mona Counties. At a meeting at Opunake it had been decided to form a board for the Egmoi County. When the Government scheme was completed the boards would probably be merged into one body, but in the meantime, so long as the council had power to spare, they could dispose of it to the boards mentioned. He believed that the council should not join in any board. The matter of replying to the league’s inquiry was referred to the hydro-elec-tric committee.