WAIMAKARIRI SCHEME.

Press, Volume LX, Issue 18147, 9 August 1924, Page 11

WAIMAKARIRI SCHEME.

CITY AND COUNTRY INTERESTS. STATEMENT BY THE MAYOR. A further statement was made by the Mayor (Mr J. A. Plesher) yesterday •relative to the Waimakariri power scheme, and the representations made to the Prime Minister and the Minister of Public Works in Wellington the previous day by a country deputation. "Mr Geo. Witty, MP., stated at the interview with the Ministe.s," the Mayor said, "that if the Government allowed the city to take a plum here and there the cost must be enormous for those who were left out. My answer to that is this, that -we made it perfectly clear that we do not intend, and do not desire, to take away any of the Government's Lake Coleridge customers, the largest f which outside the city is the Tramway Board, which uses from 2500 to 3000 k.w. per annum. We are, in fact, quite prepared to enter into an arrangement that we will not supply anybody from the Waimakariri station without the consent of the Government. The development of the Waimakariri scheme by the city will not impose any hardship whatever .on the country districts. Our idea is to enter into a new contract with the Government for ten or twelve years, and if the country business develops and grows as it should, then by the time Coleridge is insufficient to meet tho demand, the country load would have grown to such an extent as would enablo the Coleridge current to be supplied to country districts at a cost not greater than what the Government propose to-day. By 1930 or 1933 the country load should have reached at least 16,000 k.w., and as the total annual expenditure for the Coleridge station would be only £120,000, a price of £7 10s per k.w. -would be sufficient for. the country districts to pay for Coleridge power. "The.Government say that they are making a loss in supplying the city with Coleridge current, but in spite of that they showed a profit last year of from £SOOO to £6OOO. It might also be mentioned that the. Tramway Board is also supplied at a low rate by the Government."