LAKE COLERIDGE.

Sun (Christchurch), Volume I, Issue 251, 26 November 1914, Page 3

LAKE COLERIDGE.

POWER HOUSE OPENED.

PRIME MINISTER OFFICIATES.

A SUCCESSFUL FUNCTION

Yesterday marked a most important event in the industrial slnd commercial history of the Dominion —the official opening at Lake Coleridge of the first great liydro-electrical power works in New Zealand. , The" Lake Coleridge Avorlcs are the outcome of the policy promulgated in 1908 by the Hon. Roderick McKenzie, then Minister of Public Works, whereby the great .sources of water power in the Dominion should be conserved to the State, and harnessed for the benefit of the community as a whole. The Lake Coleridge scheme was the first to be undertaken under thispolicy, and after some years of arduous and difficult work, hampered by aIL kinds of unexpected circumstances, yesterday saw the works completed, and everything ready for the machinery to be set in motion for the first time-.

The opening ceremony was conducted bv the Prime Minister (Right Hon. W. F. Massey). He was accompanied to the lake by a party of over 100, who journeyed from Christchurch in twenty jnotor cars. A start was made from the city shortly before 8 a.m. The-weather was anything but pleasaut, a cold wind blowing, and a steady, soaking rain falling practically over the whole route. The journey occupied about three and a-lialf hours. Arrived at the scene of operations, the visitors first crossed the hill to the lake, where the intake was visited. The water had been turned into the mouth of the tunnel from the lake, and the water poured over the bank in a huge volume and started off with a rush oir the first stage of its headlong descent of 485 feet —the fall which gives it the force necessary to turn the huge turbines in the powerhouse away down below on the baflks of the Ralcaia. . Next a move was made to the surgechamber, which acts as a kind of governor between the outfall of the tunnel and the pipe-line, where the water enters on the last stage of its journey. The party then walked down the steep descent alongside the double line of huge steel pipes, and so arrived at the power-house. Herfe an interesting and instructive half-hour was spent in the inspection of the machinery of the multitudinous switchboards. The visitors were then conducted to the upper gallery of the power-house, where luncheon was set out. At this function the permanent Under-Secre-tary of Public Works (Mr H. J. H. Blow) presided. Besides the Prime Minister/there were also present: —The Hon. R. ..Heaton Rhodes (PostmasterGeneral), Hon. 11. D. Bell (Minister of Internal Affairs), Jlon. J. Barr, M.L.C., Mr G. W. Russell, the Mayor of Christchurch (Mr H. Holland), Or A. S. Taylor (chaiiinan of the City Council Electrical Committee), and other councillors, Messrs J. A. Flesher (chairman of the Tramway Board), IVGibson (president of the Chamber of Commerce); Hon. It. Moore, M.L.C. (chairman of the Lytteltoh Harbour Board), F. Horrell (chairman of the Hospital Board), Evan Parry (Chief Electrical Engineer of the Government), L. Birks (electrical engineer in charge of the Lake Coleridge scheme), members and engineers of various local bodies anil representatives of the chief private firms which are to be consumers of Lalte Coleridge power. Mr Blow expressed regret at the absence of the Minister of Public Works, whose Department had done all of the work of construction. Mr Fraser would have liked very much to be present, but he had been unavoidably detained in the south. At £lie same time, the Ministry could not be said to be treatingthe occasion as unimportant, as three members of the Cabinet were present, lie extended to each of. them aj very hearty welcome, and also to the Mayor of Christchurch and all the other representatives of important local bodies which had given so much help in the completion of the scheme.

The Prime Minister said that he was exceedingly pleased to have the opportunity 'of opening a work of such importance to the Dominion. The event was one of particular importance, as it marked the first-occasion on whivh the State had taken any part in the development of electrical energy, i (Applause.) The scheme was now beyond the experimental stage,, and the State was fairly launched on the enterprise so well begun by local bodies and big private firm. He instanced the Dunedin city plaut at Waipori Falls, and the Waihi Gold Mining Company's Works at the Horaliora Rapids, on the Waikato River. The town of Whangarei was also combining with a big cement company to generate power from the Wairua Falls. One could predict that in time to come nearly all the power and light needed in the Dominion would be generated from streams and rivers, with which New Zealand was so richly endowed. (Applause.) He reminded his audience that the Lake Coleridge scheme was first of all decided upon when the Hon." R. McKenzie was Minister of Public Works, and to him was due the credit of persuading Parliament to agree to it. (Applause.) It wars beyond doubt that the scheme was a success, and when it was in going order, the Government intended to proceed with others. (Applause.) In the North Island there was any amount of. water power. He was told that enough power was running to waste at Lake Waikaremoana to supply the whole of the Island. There was also ample power available at the Huka Falls, in the Taupo district. In conclusion, he congratulated all the officers who had taken part in the establishment of the biggest and most important electrical scheme in the Dominion. (Applause.) Hon. R. Heaton Rhodes, as a representative of Canterbury in the Cabinet and a Canterbury farmer, congratulated the province and the city on the completion of the scheme. He had predicted many years a go that some day Canterbury would have its electricity generated by water power. He had worked for the establishment of a scheme for the generation of power from the Waimakariri, but it had fallen through. Mr Holland: A good thing, too. Mr Rhodes: Possibly it was, as you have a much bigger scheme now. He paid a tribute to the efforts of the late Mr T. E. Taylor on behalf of the scheme. (Applause.) He hoped the day was not far distant when electricity would be available on the farms of the province. (Applause.) Already they were making a move in that direction in his own district, and Tai Tapu would be the first part of the province to have Lake Coleridge power available for rural purposes. (Applause.) The Mayor of Christchurch said that lie regarded the day as a red-letter day in his life. He had looked forward for

years to the completion of the scheme, which would make for the progress, not only of the city of Cliristchurcli, but; of the whole province. He was sure ; that in two or three years the scheme would prove a great financial success. He asked the Government not to look for dividends for a little while yet, but he was certain that eventually the works would bring a handsome return. If ever the State grew tired of the works he hoped the Government would give the Christchurch City Council the first refusal of them. (Hear, hear.) Such works should belong to the people. It was a matter for congratulation that the actual cost of the works was under the estimate. (Applause.) The officers who had carried out the work were very efficient men, and lie hoped the Government-would not lose their services. As soon as the council's lighting scheme was completed —it had been delayed through non-delivery of insulators, etc., owing to the war —Lake Coleridge power would be laid on throughout the city, and then he hoped to see representatives of the Government present "with them in Christchurch to ' celebrate the turning-011 of the power there. (Applause.) Mir G. W. Russell said that the completion of the scheme showed, that it had been well conceived and splendidly carried out. It would be of the greatest value t(\ the Dominion as a whole. The country was on a sound basis when it could use its own capital, and the brains of its public servants, for the establishment of such works as these, which should certainly be owned by the people. Mr E. Parry thanked the Prime Minister and the other speakers for their remarks regarding himself. For his own part he wished to tender his thanks to the three Ministers under whom he had Served, and to the permanent officers of the Department, for their encouragement. He was also grateful to all the members of the Lake "Coelridge staff and the various contractors for the way they had carried out their work. He make special reference to Mr F. T. M. Kissel, construction engineer, and Mr A. R. Blackwood, powerhouse superintendent. He was pleased to hear the Prime Minister promise that other schemes would be gone on with. In reality, however, there could be only one scheme in the Dominion, which was, after all, a very small country. It would be uneconomical to have a multiplicity of schemes, and he Would not have anything to do with any proposal'which ,did not aim at one great scheme. He looked forward to the day when electrical power would be almost universal, and even our light railways would be driven by electricity. (Applause.) Reference had been made to the estimates, apd he was. pleased to say that in very few cases were the estimates exceeded, and then only by a ,very small margin. There was one item of expenditure that he felt sore about, however: That was the sum of £7OOO paid to the Post and Telegraph and the Railway Departments for the purpose of protecting their electrical installations, lie had been received courteously by the officers of these Departments, but they had been very firm, and had insisted that this expenditure should be incurred. To his mind there was not the slightest danger of interference, and the expenditure of that £7OOO was unnecessary. Another item which had cost too much was the road from the works to the railway. This could have been lessened by two-thirds were it not for the. huge plantations which overshadowed the road at many points. He mentioned this matter, as it was one which he was surprised did not attract more attention from local bodies. Mr Massey, accompanied by the engineers, then descended to the main floor of the power-house, and turned the wheel which admitted the water into the main turbine for the first time. As the great wheels began to move, loud cheers resounded through the building. The Prime Minister then ascended to the switchboard, and pressed down the switch connecting the works with Christchurch city. The visitors were then conducted round the building to witness the machinery in motion, and shortly afterwards left on the return journey to Christchurch, which was reached shortly after 6 p.m. -