GENERATION OF POWER

Press, Volume XCVI, Issue 28414, 22 October 1957, Page 12

GENERATION OF POWER

Manufacturers’ Discussion

Manufacturers should have the right to develop their own power, said Mr H. C. Urlwin last evening to the council of the Canterbury Manufacturers’ Association. His view that industries which could generate their own power should be allowed to do so was supported by the meeting, which agreed to ask the New Zealand Manufacturers’ Federation to take up the matter with the Government.

“We are asked on all sides to become more and more efficient— I love that word,” said Mr Urlwin. "How can we become more efficient if we are not allowed to generate power at the cheapest possible price?” Mr Urlwin said that many overseas industries generated their own power. In New Zealand, a manufacturer could not even use his waste materials to generate power: the Government had a monopoly.

Charges for power to industry were at a penal rate, as they were based on the peak demand by domestic consumers, said Mr T. L. Uren.

It should not be possible for manufacturers to generate power cheaper than the Government, said Mr W. H. Price. If big manufacturers could do so. it might react unfavourably on the smaller manufacturers, who would have to rely on the central supply and pay more.

“Emphasise that word efficiency,” said Mr Urlwin when the council agreed to refer the matter to the federation.