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We have abundant evidence of the effect of a supply of cheap electrical power in Christchurch and district: within a comparatively short time less than a year in fact the preliminaries were settled and contracts made for supplying power to every factory within an economical radius of supply from Christchurch. But what is more noticeable is the way in which a cheap supply of power has stimulated the industrial mind into activity in many directions, such as the manufacture of caustic soda, hydrochloric acid, calcium carbide, and steel smelting. Another fact worth noting is that for the lack of sufficient machinery in the Government power-house one large electric-smelting industry which contemplated starting at Christchurch or wherever power was available was lost to the Dominion which is regrettable, as it promised to be the beginning of a large development. The general distribution of electric power makes possible a much larger use of the electrically propelled battery vehicle which has proved so successful in the Christchurch district, and has already been adopted by some of the dairy companies in this Island for the collection of their cream, with pronounced success. Wood-pulp Industry. The wood-pulp industry is one which has assumed large dimensions in Sweden and Canada, and, whilst forest reserves have been set apart in New Zealand lor this purpose and preliminary steps taken to establish the industry, no actual work has been done up to the present. The, provision of electric power at suitable points would greatly assist promoters in overcoming the. initial difficulties, and would no doubt lead to the establishment of a wood-pulp industry and of allied industries using wood-pulp in its various forms. Electro-chemical and Electro-metallurgical Industries. Such industries as employ electricity as a heat agent or chemical agent are distinguished from the general industrial uses of power by the fact that the cost of power forms the largest item of expenditure, whereas in general the power expenses are small in proportion to the total expenditure upon production. Such special industries cannot, for the reason stated, afford to pay the same price as the average obtained for general industrial purposes. Nevertheless provision has to be made, for such industries, as they have a very important place in national production and development. Such industries range, from comparatively small magnitudes, from the power standpoint, to very large dimensions. As a rule they are local in character, depending upon the occurrence or deposit of a mineral, and it is essential that a supply of power should be available wherever the circumstances are such as to favour the establishment of an industry of this kind. It will even be found that in some cases it will be, profitable to bring raw material to a convenient locality where an abundance of cheap power is available, and to have it treated there. Electrification of Main-line Railways. The provision of an adequate and dependable supply of electric, power which shall be available when and as required at such points as may be desired by the Railway Department is indispensable to them if they are to be enabled to keep pace with the development of the country. It should be clearly understood that railway electrification does not mean the displacement of steam locomotives altogether and at once, but the gradual substitution of electric haulage, for steam haulage on grades and in tunnels when and as the limits of steam haulage are reached, after making every possible improvement short of entire duplication and extensive regrading. The steam locomotive is easily the most economical tractor under ordinary railway conditions, but its speed becomes severely limited on grades because there is a limit to the power which can be accommodated on a steam locomotive. The electric locomotive, on the other hand, does not generate the, power, but merely converts electric power to mechanical power, which it draws from a powerstation situated elsewhere. The electric locomotive, being able to draw on a large central generating station for its power, can when required supply large amounts of power and so maintain higher average speed and increase the capacity of the line for traffic. For example, let it be supposed that the limit under steam haulage has been reached in some portion of the division of the Main Trunk line between Taumarunui and Taihape —that is to say, no more traffic can be conducted over it. This means that if this constitutes the critical section, the whole Main Trunk system and its tributaries, and to a lesser extent all other lines, are limited by the capacity of the section or division mentioned. If now electric, haulage be substituted for steam haulage on this section it would enable possibly twice the amount of traffic to be conducted over it, and by so doing at once double the traffic capacity of the whole Main Trunk system, and substantially enhance the value of the whole of the New Zealand railway system, without any further expenditure than that necessary to electrify the section in question- assuming, of course, that there are no other sections with the, same or approximately the, same limitations. The only alternative to this would involve regrading and reconstruction, which would inevitably: introduce longer tunnels, which in themselves would offer an obstacle, to an increased traffic, and at, the end it would be found that recourse would have to be had to electrification. The point to be noticed is that a general system of electric-power distribution is necessary in order to enable the, Railway Department to deal with any tunnel or section with steep grades as soon as the capacity under steam haulage is reached, and that if a supply of electric power is not available for use when and where required the development of the country will be retarded and progress hindered. Suburban-railway Electrification. The question of suburban-railways electrification is already an urgent one in some cases, as for instance between Wellington and the Hutt. There is no doubt in my mind that had the law permitted