THE COST TO THE COUNTRY

Evening Post, Volume CVIII, Issue 107, 1 November 1924, Page 13

THE COST TO THE COUNTRY

WHAT MR. WILFORB WANTS

TO KNOW.

. "I don't suppose we will ever know the cost of Mangahao in comparison with the estimates," remarked the Leader of the Opposition (Mr. T. M. Wilford) ' in the House of Representatives; yesterwa^, .afternoon> 'wten speaking on th« Public Works Statement. • ' Mr. Wilford said he would like to Know how much the country had been called on to expend on the works. "I yould hke to know," eaid Mr Wii- ' ford, 'how much it has : cost - this country in connection with- Mangahao ifrfn m -'A ™erican machinery which .was fought m America and not brought out, how much it cost for the storage of • the machinery before it arrived at the works, and how long it lay ■-•at the works before it was put into operation. How much are the people who have to get their current from the Govern- -. went goin S to have to.pay in the*, future? .lam satisfied that this country, is go m& to pay very dearly for some tvt w£ en. itr k e°ing to take." . „™-., W*?. fiaid he was eatisfied that the. Waikaremoana. scheme could have been gone on with long ago. In his opinion it would have been cheaper to have, gone on with the Waikaremoana scheme instead of proceeding with the subsidiary. Mangahao scheme first _lhe Minister of Public Works (the Hon, J G Coates) said the" engineers' , reports definitely stated that Manga-• hao was a necessary: adjunct to Wai-'' karemoana and Arapuni. He had never heard of any machinery having been stored in America, and he did not know ? f, on, c Power board that, had been misled by the Government in regard to Mangahao... „, - ' ". = «,

per'uni^"o^'';?o^B^^^^

nM £ UVr definitely no; not one. The Mangahao scheme, had cost more than the original estimatae, but .so had other jobs.carried out durin° the war or^just afterwards. It was a°very •^wl^ th?t they had nofc gone on with Waikaremoana, because the losses from Waikaremoana to Wellington would have been afc least ?£ per cent. The opinions of experts were that Mangahao was a-necessary adjunct to the whole system. He did not think they were making any mistakes in connection with hydro-electric development. He had absolute confidence in the schemesj-which-were -being carried out on sound busi.ness lines." * -