WATER POWER.

Dominion, Volume 1, Issue 124, 18 February 1908, Page 7

WATER POWER.

« A CONTRACT TOO BIG FOR TIIE STATE. r\ PREMIER'S ADMISSION.

PRIVATE ENTERPRISE NEEDED.. . PRESS ASSOCIATION.*) ; Hamilton, February 17 comprising i;represeu-. .'" \ ; • .tatives .;-frpm. ; 'various s local bodi?s,- Ijrought under .tho./io{ico of tho Premier durjng his ■ visit to Hamilton, tho question of, tho 'utilisation of water power for the provision of electric'light, find power. . Tlie immenso possibilities of tho Waikato River for the pur- ■ posowero referrod to, and it :was urged that • tho venture would prove, a profitablo one ' '•• : '.''td'- f tlielP'o.Teraineht f of; tho " work from the.'municipal, the mamifactuiv ,ing, the dairying, and the'agricultural points r ' . of. vjdw' was -urged upon the Premier by. the . various'speakers;.'. UNPROFITABLE: FOR RAILWAYS. ' In'ttho ;courss of Ins; reply, Sir Joseph . ■'. Ward :..stateii ,:thai. : the matter ; was. one ,of i -' ■'besides - being .a Very ex-. '■•"f(tensive? of .. electrical -power- could .not be';denied for a .\ V moment^and''tlie;,uses > to .which..it could bo put wore; very- great.. Whether; they were. : ;:; ■ going .to get; thp , losv..'co.st, which was '.assumed •- was another proposition.. At one timo ho, ■ as- a layman,:' thought they could electrify the railways from : the great water jpowers ■which wore running to waste. A 1 recent rei'. port,. .had been; obtained .in this would be,the •. most'- costly'.jnetnqii>of. running the railways. ■To putV'jtvbriefly 'th'oro;'.was such a- very grave ■ doubt'against it,' duo to the enorT mojis -.ampunt.i'.pf:. capital, required,. that it ■'; would in pf,.experts,..pay:. . ■ the Government' to ..carry. out, the. scheme .from a railway;.point of view.' POWER-LETTING PLAN TOO COSTLY. ; : The ' (jovetrimoritir'added ' the.' Premier,originally . hitonded: to,, harness tho waters- ' power, out, and, ■,; vi ; the'oftly,- .thingi'.that* s,tbppedthem, was" the . factttkat ?; lt''-:w'ould; : cost -several "millions.'of :, ■ - moiley. ;Tlic country couldi'not. do all tlieso' things at once, for thore. was now about. of' moiiey borrowed, and ' this' financial year they .were spending: about £2,900,000.;. If. the. Governmem were going ,to carry on a great svstein of' harnessing the Vnvers/ : -jt iV meantv that'! the ! Constructipn. of railways must; ;.bo"stopped), while, they ..earned out,tho work, for .the country had a limit oi) its borrowing powers. , However, ' . theXGovernment, intended:'to' makeregulaY' : )tioris, ; >'■ • tho conditions under, which water power •: could .be' acquired by the Government or . private'individuals or "companies, always pro- ■ . . vidirig vtliat^i the!ipborest'-:man ;would. get his ;i -/.poweri.;aVt,exactlythe V samb,". rate . ,as : - tho richest. (Applause.) ! AN EICHT MILLION,BURDEN. :.' ■It would bp misleading on his part |to say ;^V--' r 'K-fcliaVrtiio^"G6vjoiTime.rit'-(was-;"going to 1 hold on. ■', to "these' water powers for utilisation by the ; State,but would .-.be . gazetted,! •v as hoihadr,stated, • to,-.provide for. their- bpmg if, -:n®is^'inv'tho. ; present the country ■could not afford to go into''.tho <.very doubtful position-of .having £8,000,000 •or . £10,000,000: to put on- top of .- ordinarypublic ,requirbmonts, 'for that' would' meahfthat-sbm'ething'would,have to stop.- ' ' V .v...-,-