HARNESSING WATER POWER.

Auckland Star, Volume XLI, Issue 71, 24 March 1910, Page 6

HARNESSING WATER POWER.

... 1 : -ASSISTANCE FEjOQI THE GOVERNIt would appear from the information conveyed in a telegram published in the |*Star" yesterday that the Government ia not only fully alive to the necessity ,0! utilising the water-power available in. abundance in .most parts of Uew Zealand, •but that it i≤ determined to retain control of the resources. "The subject of ■water rights, it will be remembered, pro- j voted some controversy during last session of Parliament, but more particularly in its application to mining companies in Westland and Ohinemuri, a petition being received.from the former district, asking that water lights 'be given to the mining companies free of charge. The petition -was not entertained, but subsequently the Waihi Mining- Company secured a license to harness the Horahora water under stringent conditions. Prom wiiat could he gathered .by a -"Star" reporter to-day in eliciting inquiries from authoritative quarters, it seems that there ■will , .be no demand from mining companies for the privileges Tvhieh. the Government, under this proposal, seeks to bestow. Few companies are sufficiently large, it is stated, to require ex-1 ; tensive "water-ppwer, as in the case of the- ■ Waihi Company; -while-it "would only be | : large service's that"' Would pay the Go- j ■ vernment to 'undertake. So far as the ; proposal,giving, facilities , for municipal enterprise or industrial development is ! concerned, the- question is materially go- : verned by : the . conditions; that will be. : imposed." Wyllie, electrical engineer '. to the Auckland City Council, pointed I ' out, that the Government some time ago : made" a survey .of . the available water I ■power in New Zealand, and a comprehensive report oh the subject was submitted • to. Parliament. The report dealt sufb- . with • the . available - water- : -po-weTS,. and -in--mo3J> Instances gave ap- : proximate figures Showing the cost of ■ 'development. the absence <rf definite { ; details --of, the scheme "conteritplated ho I • was not "prepared- to express an opinion | • as*o whether- it "was wisest for the Go- ■ vernrtient or public companies to develop ■ the power, but if the Tcaier -could he utilised in any way, especially within mode-rate-distances of the sources, great bene-1 fit would be derived , "by the country generally. "In mv opinion," Tie added, • ''successful' utilisation of the ■water-pow - era -woul3 largely depend, on the possibi- • ■ lity of attra-ctijKr and. developing industries in iihe neighßourhood of -the ser- ■ vices, rather than, in attempting to 1 transmit the: power over great distancesi to points ..where steaan.or -power may he really cheaper." Ho recosiiised- that i-t would only be the large schemes that 'it would be,. worth while either "for the '. ■Government or pu-blic. company to under- . take. The point in regard to the transmission of power over a long distance received'" emphasis- in the case of the ; Auckland electrical- scheme, in connec- ; tion with which the possibility of usin^ Tratex-power was carefnlly -considered, ■ ■but to carry- it out "would have entailed ' an expenditure of more than douible the flimotmt proposed. Mr Wyllie agreed tlrat it "was a reasonable proposition for the Government to retain control of the ■ water-.power resources and make some- ■ thing out of the asset, but until, parti- - culars of , trip scheme: were dri*uj£-ed" it ■■was not possible to form an opinion as to whether the Government's decision, ii > approved by Parliament, would have the results desired.