ELECTRICAL POWER.

Press, Volume LV, Issue 16653, 14 October 1919, Page 10

ELECTRICAL POWER.

A NORTH ISLAND VISITOR S

IMPRESSIONS.

Visiting Christchurch at present is Mr F. C. Bunyard, borough engineer of Cambridge, Waikato, whose mission is to obtain information on .hydro-elec-trical matters on behalf of the Cambridge Electric-Power District Provisional Board.

In the course of a chat with a reporter, Mr Bunvard said that his enquiries had to do mainly with questions of reticulation, tho uses to which electricity is put, the rates at which electricity ic supplied, the methods of raising money, and other similar matters of detail. He was paying special attention to the question of reticulation in country districts, and in furtherance of his inquiries he had visited Sumner. Ranffiora, Waimairi County, Tai Tnpu, nnd other districts. He had got valuable information in Tai Tapu, which was a district moro nearly approximating to the Cambridge district than any he had visited. "I nm astonished to find the variety of u&es to which electricity is being put, 1 ' said Mr Biinvard. "Wherever 1 go I find people utilising electricity for different purposes and everybody seems satisfied with it. I can see that it is going to make a very great difference in. our district when it is installed. We are getting our current from the H.ora Ilora installation recently purchased by the Government nnd originally installed by the Waihi Goldminins? Company. It is sitnated on £he Waikato river, about 14 miles from Cambridge, and is capable of providing 9000 horse power. The Governent is at present making preparations for the distribution of current from this installation to the various Power Boards that have beSn formed in the district."

Mr Bunyard left town yesterday in order- to visit tlie Lake Coleridge power house. Referring to the question of good roads Mr Bunyard. in reply to the reporter's question, said that the chief trouble was in respect of getting the poorer districts to provide better roads, and the only apparent solution appeared to be the adoption, or adaptation. of the Victorian Road Board svstem. In the Cambridge district it was found that motor traffic cut the I roads to pieces by making pot-holes. The onlv roads that withstood such traffic were concrete roads, or sealed surface roads. In the borough of Cambridge bitumen was being used instead of tar for street making purposes. Mr Bunyard said that he was much impressed by the tar-macadam streets in* Christchurch. "but," he added, "this is aii old-established city and you have many things that we are hoping to get." PROGRESS OF GISBORNE 1 SCHEME. (PRESS ASSOCIATION TELEGRAM.) GISBORNE, October 13. Tho provisional director of the local hydro-electric scheme have been advised that the Minister of Public Works has 'consented to issue a license provided *the capital of £70,000 is subscribed within five months. It is anticipated that there will be no difficulty in securing tho nccessary capital locally.