WAIRARAPA LOCAL ELECTRIC SCHEIE

Dominion, Volume 13, Issue 107, 30 January 1920, Page 3

WAIRARAPA LOCAL ELECTRIC SCHEIE

THE RIMDTAK DEVIATION,

(To tho Editor.) Sir,—l regret I am istill strongly opposed- to tho findings of the mooting of ifical bodies at Carterton on Jnniiaiy ill. re tho electric supply, as being against tho highest interests of the district, for the following reasons-. 1. If Sir William Eraser cannot get tho necessary hardwood timber for poics for tho transmission, and distributing lines, and material for the transforming stations, then no local body can net them. 2. The highest benefit for Wairornpa is not hydro-electricity, but tiie deviation d xJio Eimutaka railway. 3. AYhy should private persons, who prefer gas to electricity in their houses, bo rated for the beneiit of the power

users? 4. Unless tho whole energy of thc district is immediately thrown into stopping the City Council of Wellington putting in its third dam at tho Wainui, all chance of tho railway deviation being made that way will bo destroyed by submergence of the sun-eyed track. lhn experts will have no chance then of deciding which voute is the best one to adopt. Tlicso nro the chief reasons why I am opposed to the local hydro-electric Tho district can well wait tho completion of the Mangahno oleoinc scheme. It is unfair to expect Sir. L. Rirks to do the impossible. We might just as well aslc liim to immediately make up the cement or coal shortage. It is also absolutely unfair for us to question, behind his back. Mr. Jilvnn Parry's assurance that 2.'),0C0 h.p. would be developed at iUaiignhao, sufficient to supply tho hydro-clee.tric wants of Wellington, the West Coast, Wnirarapn. and Hawke's Day, as -against the 8(100 hp. supplied at Lake Coleridge, which serves Canterbury. All sorts of persons nio traversing Mr. Parry's judgment, without the slightest found.i'ion or warrant.

Again, the whole WV.irnrapa district is to be rated to benefit the "iniinr crea"; wheveas the "outer area" vrouid bo far and nv-ny moic- henefited by deviating the railway. Why allow tho

Mayor of Wellington to condemn us, for al! tinie, to the past dreadful policy of "crawling over the intervening hills info our port," :d place of adopting the modern engineering practice of tunnelling through them, ns Christehurch did fifty years ago, to its port? Where, lies the common sense of it?

Again, ninny people, prefer gas to electricity in their private house* oil the grounds of economy and warmth. Moreover, they must have the gus for ccolcing, 'ns electricity not give cooking facilities. I fully admit that electricity is n very useful thing. But it is very expensive for private use, as the majority of people cannot afford both gas and electricity in their houses. Those who can afford it should get it. But why rata poor people for what they will not use? _ In the most modern gas cookers ono jet is made to do now ths" whole roasting and boiling for a family dinner. This is quite good enough for three U'ailarapa people out of four. Is there to bo any uuarantee that only those v.'ho nse the electric supply should pay for >t? The distributing lines will serve very little, if any, of all that vast stretch of land between the Himmulitmga River and the sea. Yet that acreage will be rated for what it cannot use. I

The Wairarapa local schema is being entered uuon chiefly to provide Sir. J. ,(;. Coouer's meat works at Mastcrton villi hvdro-electric power. I distinctly «iv that the wholo district should not be generally rated for such a purpose. Mr. Cooner says that his company is prepared to guarantee the whole cost U12.000 a year). I ask, why cannot the meat works harness the Wniohine for its own purpose, in place of plunging ns all into heavy debt? Two of our towneluus (Grey-town and Martinborough) ar e already hard pushed, owing to their past nubile debts. Why add unnecessarily to their burdens? Three-fourths of this' wide dintrict can well do without hydroelectricity; but wo are all crying out for an alteration in the railway. If Mr. Cooner oleads that he cannot harness the electric siinnly without a locrd rating area, what guarantee will he give that only those using the power shall pay for it?

Many private country lionso3 instal their own electric power plants. That is anite right. They are able, to do so, and find the. advantage of it. Doubtless thev think that, a local public scheme will supply them with electricity, and enable them to givo up attending to their private power plants. But will it? I vcrv much doubt the distributing lines bnin;; put up.outside the "inner nrea." i That will be found too expensive. So that, although rated, the whole district will not be supplied with dislributina lines.

Cannot the district rate itself, not «C 12.000 a .year for hydro-clectric-Hv. but sufficient to induce the Government to immediately construct the railway deviation, via tho two Wainui tunnels, which means truo progress, not added luxury. The coal shortage has not been so acuta with us. Neither has the sugar fchortage. There has been plenty of oil lo drive the farmers' milking plants. .Should we bury our heads in the river shingle of hydro-electricity, whilst the Wellington City Council is proposing to destroy our whole future chance of right'v altering our dreadful rail line, by installing a third dam in the •.Wainui? Why hamper the whole district for an linnec'ssary hydro-electric rale, asi'gainst a very necessary rail deviation rate? ~W<\ cannot go on plunging' the district into enormous ratings recklessly, We av • up r■> our necks in debt already. Tho district should make no mistake about my contention. All modern engineers are completely condemning "the crawlinff over tho hiil" railway policy, and adopting tunnelling in preference. Should not we? Indeed, should not Wellington City itsell', which must tunnel out, unless it wants to see half its trade diverted to Waiiganui. and New ]''-"]outh?

Wairarapa people may .not know that this third Wainui dam will be the lowest of the three dams; and, consequently, the deposit, of surface soil is greatest there; so that it will be very deep sinking to get down to the rock bottom. Tho surveyed rail track runs right through the proposed dam water area, and this of course will be submerged. Fully as much, if not more advantage to'tho city can be obtained by bringing into tho old reservoir tho new water from tho Orongo Orongo. But Wairarapa energies are all being sunk in tho local hydro-electric scheme. Vet we shall have tho supply from the iMangahao before we <aii possibly get it from the Waiohina.

Tlif local bodies will not have their distributing lines ready to receive the jtlangahau power when it is ready unless they set to work specially for it; without thinking of nutting a dam- in the Waiohinc. Certainly, if it is found that the Mnngahao supply is not c-iifli-c:ent, the-ii rale (he district lor the dam. jlut '.he first general rate should be for snnplv reticulation and the rail deviation; the local hodies to debit direct to the users of the Mangnhao

Everyone will lie benefited by the rail deviation, but only a certain Jew (cln'olly imwfv users, t-U:.\ l>v the hydro-electric trie scheme. I am therefore opposed to n single, spade being put in the Waiohine until we see what tho Mangnhao supply will give us. And in this J think I speak in tho host, interests of tuc whole dislrirl.—) urn, etc.. COLEMAN PHILLIPS.