The Timaru Herald THURSDAY, APRIL 1, 1926. NEW WATCHWORD.

Timaru Herald, Volume CXXIII, 1 April 1926, Page 6

The Timaru Herald THURSDAY, APRIL 1, 1926. NEW WATCHWORD.

“More light and cheaper power,” will he the watchword of the future in the Homeland. The Prime Minister, Mr Stanley Baldwin, bids fair to deserve the compliment paid by “Punch” to King Edward, that he was “not only a model King-, but a working' model.” Mr Baldwin, who is a real worker, is essentially a business man, and he is infusing - business methods in a vast sphere of administrative' activity in national affairs. It is therefore' interesting to note the vigour with which the Imperial Government is tackling the problem of providing cheaper' energy for lighting and power purposes. In the'House of Commons this weak, the Minister" of Transport introduced the Electricity Bill—an epoch-marking" measure to give England more

light and cheaper- power. It is pointed out, however, that from top to bottom there is no State ownership or Government control. At the same time there is no discouragement of municipal enterprise or special encouragement of private enterprise in competition with it. In his report on the coal and power problem facing Britain, Mr Lloyd George insisted that the restoration of British industrial prosperity depended not. on increased hours of labour or reduced wages, but on the provision of ample supplies of reliable and cheap power. Mr Bald win’s attempts to tackle .hat. problem and bis scheme unquestionably marks a technical advance which should result in placing the huge work of generating electricity on a more businesslike. basis. On the administrative side the Imperial Government’» scheme is this: Leaving the Ministry of Transport as it is and the Electricity Commissioners as they are, but strengthening them a little, the Government are going to set up a board, . which will not be a Government department, but a body of men .familiar with" the subject, big business men and experts. This body will be of a similar nature to the Port of London -Authority or the Mersey Docks and Hafbonr Board. It will raise its own capital and will work on ordinary commercial linos, but it will make no profits. After it has met interest and sinking fund on its capital any surplus will be devoted to reducing charges. The Government are giving no subsidy to this enterprise at all, and only such help as is given by the machinery of the Trade Facilities Act and similar Acts to approved private enterprises.

This Board will construct and own the “grid”—that is, tho network of main lines for electrical transmission. They will also be responsible for the co-ordination of all electrical generation in this country • and for the change over to the standard frequency upon which interconnection depends. They will leave alone tho distribution of current to the actual users. Nor will they erect or own the new generating stations that will be erected. That will bo left to municipal or private enterprise. But they will inlltionce the generation of electricity by pressing forward the standardised frequency, and it is calculated that their intervention will be of benefit to all distributing and generating enterprises municipal or private, by showing them that they cannot generate their current as cheaply as they can buy it from the Board and the “grid.”

Explaining- the Government's measure', the Minister said the scheme aimed at the standardisation of frequency. Hitherto the most danrag-ing- hindrance to the creation of a nation-wide scheme that would provide reliable supplies of cheaper power ami eliminate all hampering- restrictions, has been the varied and often conflicting- interests so jealously safeguarded by rival municipalities and competingtrading- concerns. The ambition of the Baldwin Government is ultimately to close down the smaller and less efficient- stations, or rather to make it. worth while for their owners to close them down. This can bo done without real loss to anyone. lir tliei Bill there will be a reserve of compulsory powers behind the Government, but it is Loped t-liat, they will never need to be used. It- is calculated that the whole electrical supply of the country can he run on about sixty stations, but this figure would include some new stations. Itmay be explained as a point of detail that while the Central Board will be primarily interested in the commercial -side, the Electricity Commissioners will remain as the technical advisers and supervisors. Tho cost of universal standardisation was reckoned by the Labour Government (whose rank and file are stoutly opposing- the scheme as likely to injure the coal industry) at £.10,000,000, and this estimate is accepted by the present Government. ■ The- whole scheme will bo com piote when consumption in England reaches 500 units per head instead of the present 200 units per head. This will probably take- place in something- like fifteen years. Strangely enough Labour has given notice of their intention to oppose the Bill < u the ground that- a. cheap -supply would he best secured by State control ! State control, forsooth ; when almost- every day announcements are made of the colossal losses suffered hv State-owned and State controlled utilities. The Labour amendment has been rejected, and the Bill accorded its second reading. “ The new Board would he armed with extensive powers,’’ the Prime- .Minister said in the courseof his speech at Birmingham, referred to in the cable messages yesterday, “enabling them, to compel al! interests to come- into lino.” There must, he authority for ■compulsion, otherwise Biowhole scheme may he wrecked. Tho question exercising the minds of political leaders at Home is lmw Mr Baldwin’s new scheme- will fare when it goes

on to the House of Lords. In 1919, wlien another Bill giving compulsory powers in connection with power problems was sent on to the House of Lords, the Coalition Government had to abandon tho compulsory provision to save the Bill! Taken altogether, however, in its Broad conception there is no denying the statesmanship, of the scheme propounded by Mr Baldwin, but it remains to be seen if the Conservative Government can put. the vital provisions of the Bill on the. Statute Book and then courageously carry out the notably progressive and vital legislation to hve Britain more light and cheaper power.