Hawea Hydro-Electric

Cromwell Argus, Volume LXI, Issue 3167, 15 June 1931, Page 5

Hawea Hydro-Electric

A DEFINITE MOVEMENT. A proposal advocated for a long 110 : through these colunms —a hydro-e ectric scheme from l.ake Hawea, to provide power for pumping water on the vast areas of laud in the Upper C'lutha —assumed definite shape at the end ol last week. la. thi.s issue we are r.s-Ic rto deal! only briefly with the matter. Milmbers of Hid Otago /Expansion League made a special trip to Cromwell to go into the question. The party' \inlcludcU: Messrs. Errington (president), W. B. Steel (secretary), J. lnglis Wright, 11. Mv Mackay S. B. Macdonald, and J as. Horn. The party arrived in Cromwell on Friday evening. On Saturday they travelled through the valley to Pembroke and on to the site at the lake. Here they were met by close on 70 residents, and a general inspection was made. lhe result was a resolution unauimoisly approving full consideration of what is popularly known as "lies' Scheme. Returning to Cromwell, the party was again bv a representative gathering in «c Athenaeum Hall, and a number addressed the meeting. Here acoin a resolution in favor of full investigation at the earliest moment was carried. The visitors openly expressed the opinion that the proposed scheme was practical, economical, and called for little engineering skill. The party returned to Dunediu en Sunday. .At Hawea, Messrs W. ;v. Scaife and R. G. Varcoe were appointed to attend the forthcoming P'esessional meeting of members of Parliament in Dunediu, if possible. The whole! trip passed off most successfully, and without a hitch. For this aj "great deal of credit is due to secretary 'Bob' Orr, of the hydroelectric committee, who attended to ill the details in an excellent manner. A meeting- of the Central Otago Hydro-electric committee was held at Cromwell on Wednesday, when the foNowAng- wqfre present:—Messrs Roberts (chairman), R. Wilson, \V. Studholme, F. Codings, M. de Bettenero, W. Scaife, R. Orr, J. Faulks, and W. Bovett. ' The names of Messrs Faulks. Scaite, and Codings were added to the committee. The minutes of a previous, meeting were confirmed. There was a considerable amount ot correspond cancel/ the :.s<icret»jry presenting a budget of reports and information bearing on the scheme. This included departmental reports from the Public Works Department, and proposals from private sources. There was a general discussion on the ouestion, and a motion Avas carried that the meeting support an irrigation and hvdro-plcctrk: scthiim© ff«m Haw*».=».' to irrigate alt lands in the Upper Clutha Vallev at an economic rate. The secretary was empowered to gather from Mr lies' all information he could bearing on. a proposed scheme. Arrangements were made for, meet in? the Expansion League during its visit at the week-end. It was decided to meet tbe delegates at Lake Hawea, as suggested. The matter of establishing' a. fund to carrv.on the work of the League was deferred until tho public meeting