The Press. TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 1, 1904. DEVELOPMENT OF NEW ZEALAND WATER POWER.

Press, Volume LXI, Issue 12028, 1 November 1904, Page 4

The Press. TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 1, 1904. DEVELOPMENT OF NEW ZEALAND WATER POWER.

Mr Hancock'* report tn the (Tovernment on tho development =>f the water-powers of New Zealand coming at *. time when the .pufblic. aro ju«t beginning to realise tin? advantages of electricity (or light, heat, snd power, ought to mark the commencement of a series of water-power Kh'emex which may in the end make New Zealand the best electrically" irapplien country in the world. The value of the Jtvport docs not lie co much in the »c-

curacy of H« estimates of tho cost of utilising any particular water-power—for example, that at Lake Coleridge; there are engineers in the colony and in the Government's own Kci*vicp, who can bring coloniul experience to the nid of tcchnicnl knowledge, and so make probably a more accurate estimate of the cost of any particular scheme than an outsider. But in large projects of this description it is not co important to know the nctunl details of construction an to have tome idea of the commercial prrwpectn of the whole undertaking, the probable effect on the industries of the community, and the increase that may be expected in the demand for electricity. This kind of knowledge can only be obtained by experience in countries where water-power has been largely, doveloped, and this report from an engineer who has been identified with the largo electrical trna*nnission schemes of California, should provo of undoubted value in directing public attention to the vast possibilities of this colony in the matter of utilising water-power for the generation of electrical energy. With regard to tho figures in the report, although thero tm % general impression in the . mind of the public that there waa a great deal of waterpower available, few can have realised that an actual measurement would disclose very nearly half a million horsepower in the North Island, and over ono and three-quarter milliona horse-power in the South; while in Canterbury alone the figure* show very nearly . a million horse-power. These numbers throw any trivial inatalhttioiu) tliat have been attempted at Niagara or elsewhere into tho shade. Of course much of tlvis power— in Canterbury, at any rate —is not commercially useful. There appear to l>e no examples in the world of water powers established on rivers of such peculiar chiiractcristictr as tlmse possens Which cross the Canterbury plains. A large hydraulic ]K>wcr station in any locality involves heavy capital Expenditure, and it would be unwise to incur thia in an undertaking which would lie largely an experiment in hydraulic engineering. But given a site whose hydraulic development offers no great difficulties, aivd the remainder of the problem is easy. There is a large amount of experience available with regard to tho electrical apparatus, and the perfection which Ohis has attained for tho high voltages required in long distance transmission w shown by tbe undisturbed regularity of working of scores of high tension transmission plants in America and elsewhere. The chief difficulty, so far as New Zealand is concerned, would appear to lie. in finding the necessary capital to start such an undertaking, and to keep it' running until its operation became commercially sucessful. Take, for example/ the case of I/ak« Coleridge, where a present development of 10,000 h.p. is recommended, at an estimated coat of over £230,000. Although it ia not difficult to foresee, the time when tbe whole of this might be utilised, no one could expect that more than a fraction of it would be requited for many years to come, so that the total expenses, before the undertaking became profitable, would tax the resources of a email community.. The proposal brought forward in the report to develop small water* powers first, ■0 as to create a confidence in, and a de-

maud for electrical energy, gets over thirdifficulty. To transmit 1000 horse-power a distance of 70 miles could not be expected to be a profitable undertaking; but in most cases there are small w_t«r powers much nearer the large cities. When these were utilised, tho larger undertaking would have much better prospects, and when erected could work in parallel withtlie older systems which by that time would have created a le>cal demand along their line of ronte. The electrical tranjmkssion system t>f Central California, which supplies Oakland and San Francisco, is, fed by more than half a dor.en water-power stations dotted about in the Sierra Nevadas.'' All these, although built, at different times as the demand for electric power increased, are now joined •up into one network, the outlying stations being all connected by telephone with the main station on the Yuba River. From this station to Sacramento the transmission line has already been duplicated, while in other cases the transmission lino from tho Yuba powerhouse runs *ide by side for miles with the line from a previously establisheel station nearer to the town supplied. Although the direct distance from the Yuba River to Oakland is but 147 miles,, so extensixe is the network connected up with the system thatelectrical energy is transmitted a total distance of 220 miles, and no difficulty is apparently experienced in the parallel running of theso widely separated stat te ma. When we have a network of electrical transmission lines traversing New Zealand in this way, the possible developments in industry, manufactures and in our methods of life generally are hard to realise. One can foresee electrically-driven trains on the main line*—not long trains running once or twice a day, but short trains at frequent, intervals. Light railways could be extended in many directions at a minimum expense for operation, and so bring the producer into direct touch with the industrial centres, which a cheap and convenient power supply had been the means of developing. Mr Hancock's report may be disappointing from the point of view of feJioßc..who expected detailed plans and estimates of particular schemes, with results guarantee.! and worked out to a fraction. It is, however, eminently suggestive and valuable, as embodying the opinion of an outside engineer having largo-experience in this kind of work, that there is a considerable opening in New Zealand for electrical enterprises of various' kinds. It- also indicates the lines along which puccess may be expected to follow, and warns us against roads predestined to lead to failure. The Government, we repeat, deserve every credit few* getting this information, and it now remains with those chiefly interested to see that the matter is not allowed to drop, but that steps are taJeen in the tentative and cautious way suggested to utilise some of the immense stores of energy now being allowed to run to waste.