SOUTH CANTERBURY POWER BOARD.

Press, Volume LX, Issue 18204, 15 October 1924, Page 3

SOUTH CANTERBURY POWER BOARD.

- r *■■ 'i mtfda-.*. P++^r-._\T „,._, tv-.- i." »-*»-K.M to .W.:c. J .A„t, r .C.".Kcrr. p T ' 1-: -'- b - l '- J- Ta"-o-. W. iur B ,a, J. mop.: i • ],,, ~ „,, • ,; .. - .- ~..„: i„. •'•,°- rt - ? -.U; Bosra* work :,.■..,,.""• -" , tn ' lr " c;or " cd s? iiitoscihcr sav i,':;.' 1 ":- . under tho fsrper con-ri\'-.-'\,f il '> l \" n P-i.-i-.eaiiy r .:i t .-j-.-.ch w iS P>le tontr:.,-!, :- n der whicit ;wV ro !r 3 were '•r- J \t'r ■'•"" I 1 <Jc!lvt ' rcd during August. A -V f'o'iTVr "'T 1 !r,d " v c ' : " lll '' on C I>.p. 1 .-^ r .. r4d ~^a . H - .. ri .. rr . rrl tha , ~ ''% ,; ""' t0 -" r: '' d T!lc -,v.,t' i " ! '' c " ;nf,r -' had in:"ormcd the .-re i,;in ? , f vrd on (ho OWJlcrs , o ~,.„.„,.,, ,<•?■-■ I lie IV3rd had now tccrived advice tr.a :l, c .d il:;s ter of Publio Works had directed tW, the Department should r,-,t hire the trees cut down. Durins Inn month to tho value of £300) h»d been tO_r, 10 a Nc!.»«n local i>odv. Mr I-. .1. ];o!!o ? to„. M.r'., foywprdevl r->r-responoence whir], had r . a ., 3cd b-lwoen :ne Miniate,- of P„:,l- C Work,, Mr J. BitoWr. M.P., Hnd hin-.scif. with regard to Tel l^°J OT \ ho development, of the Lake ™ scheme. i io first letter, from the Minister to Mr J*oUeston, -under date August 29th, stated, inter a ha, that the Public "Work.-, Department had definitely committed" itself to the duplication of works at Lake. Coleridge, and to the erection of a transmission line to Jiraani, which two works would rrs-.irc that tlifre would be atlr amount of power avsil»o\c- to B uppl.. ii r nrcfa r { South Canterbury for the. f cw vears without the expenditure on a new gcrK-ratinsr work.- at ■Lake. I ekapo. It appeared to him that the, expenditure of a, further i'aOO.COO on the development of Lake. Tekapo could only ba classified as a useless ■waste of raoncv when tho same result could bo obtained "br the. expenditure, to w.hich tho Government had already committed itvlf in tho works at Lake Coleridge. To his mind there, was no immediate need for Tekapo to ho developed, and as the conditions under which Caiu.net approval was civen to tho P.oard to develop it had now changed, he. would not recommend that this approval he reaffirmed. If Cabinet a.nd tho I'rimo Minister considered that tho promise still held good ho must fall into line, hut at the same time ho still thought that even if South Canterbury 3iad this they would be well advised in not exercising it, at least until such time as it could be definitely proved- that- jnich additional capital expenditure was absolutely necessary. In reply, Messrs Rnllcjfori and Bitchcner wrote that they learned with Eoise surprise that tbo Minister was not in favour of reaffirming the license to develop Like Tekapo, which, was given in April, l!)2'i!. It was under instructions, from the Power Board that they had approached the Minister in the matter, the Board evidently and properly wishing to be on tho safe aide beforo it committed' itself to any expenditure. For themselves, tho writers would not have considered that there could bo any doubt but that a license, given in such unequivocil terms, and without any suggestion of timo limit or withdrawal, would still remain in force. After adducing arguments in answer to tho Minister's statement that conditions were now different from those obtaining- in. 1922. when the license was granted, in that the Department was nowcommitted to the daiplication of Lake Coleridge, and that tho expense involved in (he development of Lake Teka.po was noi justified, tho letter concluded with a hope that tho Minister would take an early opportunity of bringing the whole matter beforo Cabinet, and that the present recommendation not to reaffirm, the license would not be adhered to. The Minister' rcjply stated that when the proposal for tho Power 3V>ard to develop Tck2po had been approved, tho duplication of Coleridjgo had been certainly in view, but the nature and extent of that, duplication would have been different from the Government's present proposal and commitments if "the. country had been committed to another large development at Tekapo. The duplication at Coleridge had heen held up because the Christchurch. Oity Council was then so emphatic that it had such an exceptionally good scheme at- "WaimaJjariri. If the reports obtained in reference to that scheme had indicated that it was bo much better than the Coleridge duplication works, those works would havo been still further modified and cut down. As the reports proved tho Wnimakariri not to bo comparp.blo with Coleridge, and as South Canterbury did not go ahead with Tekapo, the- Department, decided to go ahead with Coleridge to serve the needs of both Christchurch and South Canterbury. Tho Minister could not' agree that the question of tho expense inr volvcd was purely a matter for tho ratepayers to consider. Tho Government waa primarily responsible for a policy which was intended to supply electricity to the country generally in the most economical manner, and it would -certainly be failing iu its responsibilities if it were to allow any district to embark on an undertaking when it was convinced that that undertaking was not in tho best interests of the particular district concerned. In particular would it bo wrong to allow such, an undertaking to proceed when all considered and rcpponeible cridenco w?.nt to show that not only would the (particular district under consideration suffer, but adjneent districts and tho country as a whole would suffer as tho resiilt of alterations which would he necessary to the system which had been designed to bo in the -best interests of all concerned. The Minister concluded with the statement that tho question of whether the license was to be reaffirmed or not was a matter for Cabinet to decide, but personally .he waa opposed to any «uch affirmation. As ti«p. matter has not been finally decided by Cabinet, it was agreed that further discussion should be hold over until the attitude of the Government is definitely known. Members considered that Mr Itolleston had made the be-st of the case for Tekapo, and it was decided that ho and Mr BitcheDer should bo thanked for tho work they had done. Tho manager's report on the matter of the sale of power to the Timaru Borough Council was taken in committee, and it was decided that arrangements ehould be left in the hands of tho manager and engineer.