The Auckland Star: WITH WHICH ARE INCORPORATED The Evening News, Morning News and The Echo. FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 10, 1922. ARAPUNI ONCE MORE.

Auckland Star, Volume LIII, Issue 34, 10 February 1922, Page 4

The Auckland Star: WITH WHICH ARE INCORPORATED The Evening News, Morning News and The Echo.

FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 10, 1922. ARAPUNI ONCE MORE.

For the cause that lacks assistant*, For the wrong that needs reeiatanoe, For the future in thr. distance, And the good that we can do.

The Arapuni scheme—or shall we say mystery?—is advanced another stage by the Minister's statement in Parliament yesterday and by the Mayor's report to the City Council last night, the latter of which contains references to the results of the recent investigations made by Public Works engineers into Auckland problems of electrical supply. The criticisms of these expert investigators appear to be opposed to the establishment of a coal generating station at Huntly, and to confirm the choice of Arapuni as the chief, source of supply for the Auckland district. It is satisfactory to have these opinions, but we may point out that any calculations of the respective merits of coal generation and supply from Arapuni that may be made are complicated by the consideration that while it is possible to make pretty close estimates of the cost of coal stations, experience shows that there may be a considerable margin of I error in respect to the capital coet of water-power installation. The Mayor gathers from the report of the Public Works engineers that Arapuni is now practicable if a. satisfactory contract can be made between the new Aμck,land Power Board and the Government, and the Minister said the same thing yesterday when he told a questioner that he was waiting for the board, and when that body could tell him what power would be required and when it would be wanted, he would be able to make a statement about construction. The trouble about this is that this was not the reason given for delay in the recent Public Works Statement. Then Mr. Coates said he was waiting until money .became cheaper. It may be quite right to delay construction until more data are available as to demand. We are inclined to think it is, and especially with a very large undertaJdng like Arapuni at a time of financial uncertainty. Arapuni will not provide cheap power—assuming that its power will ever be cheap— until a substantial total of horse-power is developed and used, and it may fairly be contended that the. Government should be informed when this demand will be available. The "Herald' , remarks, by the way, that "the whole policy of the Public Works Department is based on the assumption that water-power is cheaper than a steam plant. If that assumption can be challenged, it is challenged in respect not only .to Arapuni but all the State's schemes." This is not quite correct. Cheapness depends on capital cost, and capital cost may vary greatly. It is therefore easily conceivable that hydro current might be cheaper than coal current in one part

of New Zealand and dearer in another. ! We hope Arapuni will be undertaken— assuming that it is justified -financially —and that it will prove a great success, but we sec no reason for objecting to further investigation of the whole problem provided that there are, good grounds for such delay. So much is involved that rashness might land the country into a very heavy loss, and a.t i the same lime not secure for Auckland! cheap electric power. |