THE HORAHORA PURCHASE.

Auckland Star, Volume L, Issue 202, 26 August 1919, Page 8

THE HORAHORA PURCHASE.

MOTTCfT EDEN WANTS POWER. A PROVISIONAL APPLICATION. Following on the announcement of the (iovernment's purchase of the llorahora hydro-electric plant, the Mount Eden I Borough Council has decided to put in i :ui immediate application for power from the new source, with the object of securing precedence when current Generated .on the Waikato River is brought into i Auckland. ; The .Mayor (Mr. ('. Hudson) skid the sooner electric light was secured in ; Mount Eden the better it would be for j the district. The council had strongly urged the purchase of the llorahora plant for a considerable time past: indeed, it was one of the first local bodies to t: ke the matter up. An effort had been made to secure the co-operation of the Auckland City Council, but that, j body, apparently contented with its own j steam generation system, had not rej sponded. He did nit suggest that Horajhora would he able to supply tlie needs !of Auckland, but it certainly could supj ply a part the suburbs, at any rate. It was the duty of the council to iusk j the Government, that s.ime power should Ibe reserved for Mount Eden —say 500 horse-power. Possibly in six or eight months the council might be the first loo: 1 body distributing current from the Waikato in Auckland. lie was quite aware that Horohora. was no; the end of the scheme, and he felt sure that the council, in order to show that it was in earnest, ought to apply for power at once. The engineer i Mr. John Rogers) said that he was preparing- :: report, with estimates, on the reticulation of the borough. This report would be of value. no mi-.tter what" the source of supply might be. The Mayor remarked tiiat while an effort should be made to find out the amount of current that was likely to be wanted, a provisional application ought to be put in at once. This ourse was approved by several councillors, and a resolution was carried p.ccordingly.