HYDRO-ELECTRIC POWER

Evening Post, Volume CII, Issue 37, 12 August 1921, Page 3

HYDRO-ELECTRIC POWER

FOR HUTT VALLEY

LOCAL BODIES CONFER.

To make ready for reticulating the Hutt Valley with power from Mangahao, a conference of local bodies was held in the offices of the Hutt County Council yesterday afternoon. The following local authorities were represented:—Hutt County Council, Petone, Hutt, and Eastbourne Borough Councils, and Upper Hutt Town Board. Mr. G. 1 H. Guthrie, of the Upper Hntt Town Board, presided.

In' the course of an address, Mr. L. Birks, Chief Electrical Engineer to the Government, explained that the Government would not handle the power any farther than the sub-stations which were to be established in connection with the hydro-electric scheme, and it was for the local bodies concerned to decide whether a power board should be formed in the Hutt Valley. There were two alternatives. The first was to form a power board for the Hutt Valley .by itself, which area was: about the minimum considered to have enough financial strength to carry out the undertaking. In the alternative, it was for the local bodies represented at the conference to consider whether it would not >be better,, more convenient, and more economical to obtain the current for the Hutt Valley from the Wellington organisation—he was not saying from Wellington City. The Auckland boroughs and counties had, for instance, agreed to form one big board, and to take over the whole of the Auckland City Council's assets in connection with electrical power. For the present, however, the conference might very well confine itself to the setting up of a provisional committee, preliminary to making statutory application for the formation of a power board. The power board would have full power to do whatever was required to reticulate its given' area, including the making of contracts and rating powers. ■ •; , In reply to Mr. J. W. M'Ewan, Mayor of Petone, Mr. Birks stated that from Mangahao about 2000 horse-power would be available for the Hutt Valley, and it would be a very* ample supply. ( Answering other questions, Mr. Birks said that it would not pay the Hutt Valley to put in any stand-by plant. If the local bodies in the Valley joined up with the /Wellington organisation they would be'able to take full advantage of the city's stand-by plant. Mr. M'Ewan suggested that it might be advantageous to bring the city into the scheme.

A provisional committee was set up, and it was decided. that the committee should interview the Mayor of Wellington and the City Engineer (Mr. W. <H. Morton) before drawing up its report relative to the proposed board, for submission to the local bodies concerned.