HYDRO-ELECTRICITY

Dominion, Volume 13, Issue 250, 16 July 1920, Page 7

HYDRO-ELECTRICITY

STATEMENT OF POLICY

IMPORTANT CHANGES IN ORGANISATION "GETTING A MOVE ON" An important statement regarding hydro-electrio development was by the Minister of Public Works (Hon. J. G. Cos,tea) in reply to a doputahon oJ Canterbury members. The deputation had asked for the rapid extension of the I Kike Coleridge schenio and had suggested the creation of a separato tlydroiJlectrio Department, on the pound that Rt i Public Works Department oould not gTve all the attention required to the ffeveiopment of water powor. .... Mr. Coates said that he himself had .favoured at first the creation of a separate Hvdro-Electric Department. had examined the position very carefully an 3 had found that the change would create somo serious difficulties. A. separate Department would require its own construction branch, survey branch, clerical staff and everything else. The development work would be completed within, a period of years, ten or fafteen years, and then the Department would Be left with staff for which it had no further use. Ho had decided, for this reason, in favour of tho establishment of a branch of the Public Works Department for hydro-electrio development, and he had recommended this ohange to the Government. This branch would devjSte itself solely to the construction work of hydro-electric 6ehemes—tho headworks, tunnels, dams and eo forth, ine generation and engineering parts of tJw eohemes would be in the hnndp of -inother branch, containing electrical and mechanioil engineers. "I admit at ones that the organisation is far from complete, eaid the Minister. "It is not anything like perfect. But I think we have mon in t'« Public Works Department and in ' the hydro-electrio branch who, if given support and encouragement, will equip themselves with credit and give wtisfaction to the country. We all get irritated at the delays and the tiino it takes publio Departments to get moving. Wo are trying to nemove three difficulties and to bring about first the production of machinery tbat is going to do the job." A Minister could not eecuro satisfactory work unless he had his staff behind him, ready to swing into line with his way of doing things* He felt that the war period, with its stagnation of normal activities, had lett its effect -upon engineers as well, as upon everybody else. Tho engineers were trying now to adjust themselves to new conditions, and he could tell the deputation that important ohanges were taking placo in tho Public .Works Pg* partmont. He could not yet state the details. Ho was ondeavonring to get the Department into a position to tackle the job in tha way he wanted it tackled.' Theso things could not ba arranged in a moment, and he felt that it was much better to take men along with him than 65 Srive them. "I want to assure tho engineers and tho staffs as a wholp that I am with them as long as wo get a move on," said the Minister. "We may moke mistakes, but it is better to make mistakes than to stand still. I do not anticipate that mistakes will bo made." " Tho Minister, proceeding, 'said that as a start, the construction branoh was being drawn from the Public Works Department. A beginning had been made with the scheme at Mangahao. Ho proposed that the sale of current and so forth, after the construction work was complete, should be handled by business men. Tho Government must see that this ond of the enterprise was handled in a souud way. The sale of current was purely a commercial -undertaking and . ought to bo in the hands of bus! ness men.- Mr. Parry, the late Chief Electrical Engineer, and Mr.. Birks, his successor,''wort both of this opinion. The construction branch must necessarily re main under tho direct control _of tho Government, which was responsible for the policy to be followed in hydro-elec-tric development.. The Minister remarked that tho Lake Coleridge scheme had been developed on trior small' a scale. Provision should have been made for the development of 50,000 horse-power instead of 1(5.000 horse-power, -Arrangements wero being made for the utilisation of the present power-house to its full capacity of 56.000 horse-power, and then an additional power-house would be required. Referring again to his policy, Mr. Contes sairl that lie wns trying to sot, out objectives—points to which the Department could work in fixed periods of one year, two years, and so on. He wanted to lay down schemes of work for the various periods, witli attention given to the eunnly of materials and labour, the completion of contracts, and fo forth. Contracts wore not to be, delayed -under present conditions. A definite working arrangement, on which the plans of the construction branch could he based, would assist progress. Tho Minister 'added that he had some other information., but he wns -not nrenared to placo it before the deputation because it was not comnlete. He could a«sure the deputation that the members of the Government were in earnest afoul: hydro-electric development. They had nlaccd it in tho forefront of their policy.