PRODUCTION OF HEAVY WATER

Press, Volume LXXXIX, Issue 27038, 13 May 1953, Page 8

PRODUCTION OF HEAVY WATER

RECOMMENDATIONS TO CABINET

SUGGESTED EMPLOYMENT OF CONSULTANTS (From Our Own Reporter) _ WELLINGTON, May 12. Recommendations that the Government should appoint overseas consultants to visit New Zealand to advise °n the proposal to produce heavy water from geothermal steam are now ± Cabinet ’ . K is als ° Wgested that a new series of deep bores p s e “? t . geothermal bores at Wairakei should be driven immediately. The expenditure involved in these £ r 250000 S U understood t 0 be about recommendations now before the Cabinet are contained in a report from an inter-departmental committee ??L. up last year after the eminent British scientist, Sir John Cockcroft, had had discussions in Wellington with flj® R™™ 6 Minister (Mr Holland) and other Ministers and departmental heads. Represented on the committee were the Ministry of Works, the TreaDepartment, ths Department of Scientific and Industrial Research, and ‘be State Hydro-electric Department The report of this committee was Mr Holland last week, but the Cabinet did not have an opportunity to consider its recommendations before the Prime Minister left Wellington on Sunday on his way to the Coronation. As the Prime Minister wishes to have discussions with British MinJrfhl 8 ai UL- S ? r Cock ”o’t and °i be S I scl ® t V lsts at Harwell, he left instructions for the report to be considerSa. tbc next Cabinet meeting. The long-term plan for the production of heavy water in New Zealand envisages a combined heavy water and electric-power plant scheme on the site of the present Wairakei bores. The immediate proposals now before the Cabinet are merely for urgent preliminary investigations before any major scheme is launched.

The report is understood to have come be‘ore the Cabinet today, but no statements were issued bv the Ministers concerned tonight. The Cabinet will continue its meeting to-morrow morning.