PROMOTION OF ELECTRICITY

Press, Volume XCII, Issue 27795, 21 October 1955, Page 10

PROMOTION OF ELECTRICITY

DEVELOPMENT IN N.Z. SUGGESTED

For more than 10 years New Zea- | land had had power shortages, and (consequently little attention had been given to electrical development, but now that there was an assurance of | plenty of power in the South Island means of developing electricity must be considered, said Mr N. A. Davidson, the president, to the annual conference of the New Zealand Electric Supply Authority Engineers’ Institute. Electrical development associations had done a good job overseas, Mr Davidson said, and New Zealand seemed to be reaching a stage in electrical development and population growth when such an organisation could be of service to electricity consumers.

Among, the functions of such an association. Mr Davidson listed the collection of data on electrical appliances, national advertising campaigns, applied research into utility projects in the primary and secondary industrial, domestic and commercial fields, ?nd possibly the setting up of a testing and proving house for electrical appliances and accessories, on the lines of British procedure.

Active development and promotion of the uses of electricity on a national basis was essential if consumers were to receive the maximum benefit from the services electricity could provide and if the capital investment in electricity supply was to be utilised to the greatest advantage, he said. Applied research into new applications of electricity in primary and secondary industries was necessary if production was to be increased to maintain and improve the standard of living and provide for increased population.

Much had been accomplished in extending power supply to sparselypopulated areas, but generally little had been done on a national basis to promote and encourage greater use in those areas once the power had been installed.