STAND-BY PLANT.

Press, Volume LXVI, Issue 20038, 20 September 1930, Page 19

STAND-BY PLANT.

PROVISION BEFORE WINTER. MINISTER'S ASSURANCE. REPLY TO CANTERBURY DEPUTATION. [TIUS rittSi Btrvlc*.] WSLLINGS'tON, September 19. A definite assurance that a stand'by plant would be installed to ensure da adequate supply of electric power for Canterbury by next Winter was made late this afternoon fey the Minister for Public Works (the Hon, W, B, Taverner) to a deputation of Canterbury members of Parliament, who waited upon him after the unveiling of the Massey Memorial. Mr tfaveraer made an important an' nouncement concerning hi# attitude toward the provision of auxiliary poWef plants throughout the country, stating that he hoped to place before Cabinet proposals embodying a Dominionwide policy. Ho said e recognised the need far stand-by plants in view of the likelihood of hydro electric p6wer failure, a# the existing emergency plants Were totally inadequate. He added that Canterbury Would have no need to fear a shortage after this year. The deputation was organised by Mr D, G. Sullivan Avon). Other members present were Messrs H. H6lland, R. W. Hawke, C. Carr, B. J., Howard, J. McCombs, and H. T. Armstrong. Industry Endangered. Mr Sullivan said the deputation Was representative of Canterbury member# of Parliament and, incidentally. Of local bodies throughout the province. They Were exceedingly concerned da account of the position that had arisen through the fall in the level of Lake Coleridge resulting in restricted supplies of electricity and the possibility of industry being endangered. He said that when he interviewed the Minister with the Mayor of Christchurch recently an assurance had been given that provision would be made for next winter's load, but it Was not made clear whether this assurance Would be made good as a result of a Providential rainfall or through the provision of stand-by plants. This assurance had been con veyed to the Christchurch City Council and other local bodies, and while it had been welcomed anxiety continued as to the means to be adopted. The question was of sueh vital importance to the province's industrial and domestic life that it was felt Canterbury should be taken into the confidence of the Mill* ister.

"I represent three county councils, three borough councils, And a portion Or the City of Christchurch," said Mr McCombs, "and in this area industries have been built up depending upon a cheap and dependable supply of electricity. The City itself has been hindered in the development of its- own source of supply and thus prevented from becoming the master of its own destiny... The people are absolutely in the hands of, your Department, and we feel that your Department has been gambling with the prosperity of the people of Christchurch And of Canterbury by not making adequate provision to supply power definitely contracted fiffeet on Employment. "1 am sorry to say that this Is not the first occasion on which the Government and the Department have let the people down, If the people were allowed to develop their own aouroet of supply, and if they made a mistake, they would have to take the consequences, but the Department undertook to givo them a wholesale supply, and I contend that having contracted to deliver the power it should be definitely in a position to do so and not trust to luck and gamble with the prosperity of the industries. Two or three lmnared employees have been thrown out of work as a result of the shortage. If tlie matter becomes more Serious the ChHstchureh Tramway Board Will have to run a dduced ser» viee. It has already prepared a scheme for such a serviee, and that will throw seventy-eight men out of employment. It is not, therefore, a matter that the Department can afford to treat lightly." Mr McCombs added that the Depart* ment hid made provision for a stand-by plant in Auckland consequent on the Arapuni breakdown, and it had entered into an arrangement with the Auckland Power Board to pay half the capital charges. The Minister: That is not so. Mr McCombs said in any case the Department Was helping the Board in some definite and effective way to help Auckland. If it were not, it was time Auckland, Christchurch, and other cities should join together and demand fair treatment. Mr Cam Not only the cities. Mr McCombs said the people or Christchurch W6ie not altogether satis* fled with the reply that something would be done. (i ffrfcy feel that yoti and your Department should dfcfiflitely take them into your confidence and tell them what yoti propose to do. so that the people of Canterbury might judge whether your plans are likely to be adequate. We have to speak strongly because of the innumerable failures of the Department to stand up to its con* tracts. Again and again Christchurch has had to go slow tor fear of over* leading." . A Matter for Censure. 1 Mr Howard said the question of power supplies was fought out bitterly on the floor of the Uoubg in 1926, when the present contract for supplies Was proposed. He expressed the opinion that those engaged in industry could see what was Coming, and as a result it was urged that powet should be provided from the Waimakariri river. An assurance was given by the Department that the power supply from Lake Cole* ridge would be quite adequate for the needs of the province. It was a matter for censure that the province had not been given any idea that the position was becoming so acute, and he copsid* ered the business people should at least have been given a chance to prepare for the shortage, which the Department must have known waß coming. "I join with Mr McCombs in saying that the Department has not played th« game with tis," Mr Howard added. <<lt is no good soaring people, but at the same time those engaged in industry should have been told that there might have been a need for something to be done. In regard to power supplies I do not think the Department has been fair to the City of Christ* church." . «« Mr- Carr said that although he did not speak with official authority, he was sure he expressed the opinion of Timaru and Bouth Canterbury, in saying that there was an urgent need for action to ■ bv taken to assist the district in its desperate plight. Timaru Was doing iti

best to meet the situation, but it felt it could not carry on indefinitely. It felt it was suffering by comparison with Ohrlstehurch. It paia very much more for it# light and power, and apart from the fact that domestic supplies had been restricted, industry was feeling the pinch severely. Serious Inconvenience. Beference was made by Mr Holland to® the serious inconvenience being caused to the Lyttelton Harbour Board. The Board Was holding a special meeting on Monday to consider the position, and he asked that he might be given a message to take to it to allay the fears that had been caused. It was not much good trying over spilt milk, but he would like to hear what steps the Department intended to take, to tide over the crisis. He advanced the theory that the earthquake Of last year had caused a fissure in the lake bed, and that a leak had occurred, so drawing, off a large volume of water. The Department had apparently increased its liabilities throughout the province, and .as a result it was being called upon to supply more power than it could produce. Mr Hawke said the country areas had Spent thousands of pounds in installing pOWer plants, and they would have to fade a difficult position. He appealed for encouragement from the Minister concerning the future. Mr Armstrong, speaking as chairman Of the Lyttelton Harbour Board, said he did not wish to blame anyone for the Situation that had arisen. However, he had fought very hard in Parliament for permission for Christchurch to generate its own power. He thought a blunder hud been made in not allowing the City tft do so. It was no use the Minister quoting the likely cost of a stand-by plant, a few months of dry weather would cost Canterbury more than any plant. In point of fact the province had already lost far more than a plant would have cost. Nor did he think it would be wise for the Department to spend more in the wateished. The whole of the Harbour Board's electric cranes had been affected, and ships were entering the harbour with no cranes to work them. The electric capstans had also been thrown out of use, and the Board had had to revert to horse-power. Contract Must be Carried Out. "The position is that if something in the nature of permanent provision is not made in the near future, the Harbour Board will provide its own plant and switch off from the Department's supply permanently," Mr Armstrong said. "I think you will find other big concerns will do the same. We are not going to be put off on the score of the expense likely to be involved inproviding a stand-by plant. We entered into a contract with your Department, for the supply of power. Your Department ha# not Complied with its part of the contract. Whatever thfe cost may be It is possible for your Department to make provision to fulfil the conditions of the contract, and it is your duty to do SO. 1 ' Mr Sullivan said it seemed inevitable that the Ohly Solution of the problem lay in providing a stand-by plant. He could see little prospect of any good arising from the diversion of the Acheron rlVcr Or other streams. "The Departmental officers are always so sure, and their weight of authority always brushes aside the fears of the community," he said, "but as happens so frequently the fears of the community are right." Mistakes Made. The Minister sAid he appreciated to the full the urgency of the case. He was not going to attempt to put the deputation off. He realised the province was up against a serious problem, and that losses and inconvenience had been caused. The position, appeared to be the cumulative result of a series of occurrences, but he did not know that any good purpose could be served by going into them. Mr Taverner added that if mistake# had been made, and they appeared to have been, the best thing to do was to take the problem as it existed and endeavour to overcome it. The demands made npon the plant had been far greater than had been calculated at first, Thife had been the experience in every centre where hydro-electric power had been generated. Unfortunately the policy la this respect had not kept pace With the. growing industries. Referring to Arapnni, he said the Auckland Power Board had not asked for assistance in regard to capital ex* penditure, but only in regard to standing charges upon the plant it ownedi He added that the diversion of the Acheron river would cost about £23,000. Mr Holland: Is it worth itt The Minister said he had no intention of' tampering with the already over* loaded hydro-electric system. If tho City of Christchurch Wished to go ahead with power generation 6n the waimaknriri he Would n6t stand in its way. However, after nett winter a con* siderable amount ef power would be available from Waitaiti. Unfortunately, i. he said, there would be a gap until the Waitaki scheme would operate! I Voww to be Supplied. Summarising his intentions, he said he Would See that the Department supplied power as soon as possible. He would not shirk this duty. Of greater importance at the moment was the provision of stand-by plants, and he in* tended to see they would be provided for the future. (Hear, hear.) < "I know enough about hydro-electric frorks." said Mr Taverner, "to realise that in dealing with elemental forces of tfaturo we eannot expect to order those forces as we would like. During the past six months New Zealand ha# experienced peculiar conditions in re' gard to weather. We have had a short* age at Waipori, a failure at Arapuni caused by different-circumstances* and ! now we are faced with an abnormally low rainfall in the area supplying the Coleridge power station. Everybody is powerless to do anything. shows plainly that adequate provision must be made for steam-operated plants to take up the load when required. At the moment We are going into the whole question, and I hope before long to be able to submit to Cabinet proposals for a general policy in regard to the Supply Of electricity in New Zealand,- The stand-by plants that exist to-day are totally inadequate for the job, and that is one reason why Christchurch and Timaru and Other districts are short. Plant Before Next Winter. "You have asked me to give you a message to take back to Christohurch, I want you to understand that I enter into the feelings that exist in your City, but h is not a thing that can be done overnight. 1 have given a definite assurance that a plant Will be installed next winter. I cannot tell yon what kind of plant it Will be, but it will be One of adequate power to do the job, And that is the message I ask you to take back to you* people." Belief Measures. Discussing immediate relief measures j the Minister said there were certain | small plants throughout the province which were operating pjjior to the comj missioning Of the Coleridge station, but whether relief could be gained from them was problematical. Mr Sullivan asked whether the people would be required to pay for auxiliary power in view of the Department's failare to adhere to ita contract. The Minister said he wotild ask 110 one to pay anything for next winter's supply. Wont period Over. The Engineer-in-CMef to the Public Works Department, Mr F. W. Furkert, said a number of stand-by plants Were

Operating, and that if they could be kept in commission Lake Coleridge could be given a greater chance to increase in volume. The lake would rise in any ease, a# the worst period was over. Those stand-by plants would produce about 3000 kilowatts, and while they would assist the quick rising of the lake level they Would also prevent it from- falling too quickly once it had reached a level of safety for power generation. Although the position Was bad it was certainly &ot as hopeless as those unacquainted with the situation prob* ably believed, i'he Coleridge station was still producing 2<5,000 kilowatts, and it had never turned out more than 30,000. After referring to the fall in the level of the lake, Mr Furkert said the community had not been right in this instance as had been inferred,' for no one could have foreseen a fall in the lake level entirely incompatible with averages worked out over a long period. It was a reasonable assumption that more rain than ever Would fall in the future, but that could not b« gambled on. Intake High Above Lake Bed. In reply to Mr" Howard, Mr Furkert said that the intake was hundreds of feet above the lake bed and that there was about 2ft 6in of water still above the intake. Answering the Minister, he said that all available steam plants had been pressed into service, and there Wert none ot any size not running. The Minister invited the members of the deputation to meet him again in a few days so that he could advise them of the position. He promised that everything would be done to give relief, Mr Sullivan expressed the sincere thanks of the deputation for the generous manner in which the Minister had met its demands.