HYDRO-ELECTRICITY.

Taranaki Daily News, 19 August 1921, Page 4

HYDRO-ELECTRICITY.

AN IMPORTANT CONFERENCE COUNCIL TO BE WAITED UPON A conference was held yesterday after-” - * noon between members of the council of the Chamber of Commerce and the executive of the Ratepayers’ Association on the question of the New Plymouth hydro-electric extensions. Mr. S. G, Smith, M.P., was also present. The whole position was carefully reviewed, the opinion being general that the council, before deciding to go on with the concreting of the Nd. 2 tunnel, as at present designed, and breaking off negotiations with the English firm which is desirous of obtaining electrical power for the treatment of ironsand and the erection of works at New Plymouth, should first have an engineering survey made of the country above the present extension works. Such a survey, it was urged, would be valuable for many reasons and set at rest the minds of the public as to the possibilities of latent hydro resources in that neighborhood. Finally the following motion was passed:— “That the Chamber of Commerce and the Ratepayers’ Association, with the member for the district and othei representative citizens, wait upon the Borough Council, and urge that they have an engineering survey made im« mediately of the possible additional water r sources and storage facilities above the extension works now in progress, and meantime that they do nol proceed, as proposed, with the taper* ing of No. 2 tunnel.”