POWER SUPPLY.

Auckland Star, Volume LXX, Issue 193, 17 August 1939, Page 18

POWER SUPPLY.

THE KAITUNA RIVER.

POSSIBILITIES AT OKERE.

FORMER M.P. ENTHUSIASTIC

(By Telegraph—Own Correspondent.) ROTORUA, this day.

The opinion that steps should be taken in the near future to harness the tremendous reserves of the Kaituna River for hydro-electric purposes was expressed yesterday by Mr. C. H. Clinkard, formerly M.P. for Rotorua. Mr. Clinkard has always taken a keen interest in hydro-electric development.

Mr. Clinkard referred to the fact that steps were now being taken to increase power supplies from the major North Island stations and that it had also been found advisable to duplicate the main lines from Arapuni to the Bay of Plenty in order to obviate the possibility of a complete cessation of supply to the bay in the event of a main line break. He was of the opinion that the expanding needs of this quarter of the North Island —if not now within a comparatively short space of years—would necessitate the development of increased power supplies. In his opinion no better opportunity existed that at Okere.

Mr. Clinkard recalled that the late Mr. J. C. Firth, of Auckland, who was one of the pioneers of hydro-electric power development in New Zealand, had first drawn attention to the tremendous possibilities at Okere and that his opinion had later been backed up by that of Mr. Parry, an English engineer, who a number of years ago formulated a report for the Government on which the .greater part of the power development work of the North Island was based. Mr. Parry had then estimated that Okere was capable of developing almost as much power as Arapuni. Small Station Obsolete. One of the factors responsible for the passing over of the Okere scheme was possibly the fact that about 38 years ago the Government had erected a small power station there for the purpose of supplying electricity to Government buildings in Rotorua. This station was one of the first of its kind to be erected and was now completely obsolete. Unfortunately its limited capacity had been accepted as a criterion of the possibilities of the Okere scheme. It was, he said, as reliable a guide as the small private plant now operating at Huka Falls to supply the Wairakei Hotel.

It was pointed out by Mr. Clinkard that the Kaituna River was the only outlet from the two largest lakes in the Rotorua district and that it had a fall at Okere of something like 800 ft in five miles. In addition, it passed through sound sandstone country, eminently suitable for large-scale construction, and in this respect offering many advantages when compared with Arapuni. The river also had the great advantage that it was not subject to flooding, while the reserves of water were inexhaustible and subject to very little fluctuation. It also lent itself to the chain system of power development on the lines of that adopted on the Seine in France.

Mr. Clinkard urged that a full investigation be made of the possibilities of the scheme. He was wjfftfiderit, be said, that if this was done without prejudice and by competent engineers tremendous latent reserves of power available by harnessing the Kaituna would immediately be apparent.