TARANAKI'S POWER SCHEME

Evening Star, Issue 19699, 28 October 1927, Page 2

TARANAKI'S POWER SCHEME

’Kspressint T their belief that the Taranaki"' Rower Board's hydro-electric scheme has far exceeded its estimates cost, and that considerable waste and useless expenditure have been caused unnecessarily through its operations, N. B. Fryday, of Ngaere and fortysix others petitioned Parliament last week asking that the operations and administration of the, hoard should he investigated by the Public Works Depaitmont. ...... The petitioners also ask that the Electric Power J3oards Act, llko, should ho amended so as to exempt from power board rates persons who had provided their own electricity plants prior to the Act coming into force. They suggest fuither that the period within winch compensation may be claimed for injury through a power board’s operations should ho twelve months. An additional amendment suggested is one that would throw upon power boards absolute liability for damage caused through the escape of electrical energy. Before the Taranaki hoard’s scheme came into force, many of the districts were without electrical power. The scheme, which “ Hydro ” inspected two years ago, emanated from publicspirited men in Elthara, in Central Taranaki. The progress of the work was delayed by the difficulties in boring a tunnel through the pumice hills. The water is taken from the Wanganui River and diverted by a weir into a big race which flows from Tariki through the valleys. The scheme as proposed was to convert two valleys into huge storage basins, and then divert the water through a big tunnel to Motukawa. H. W. Climie and Sons, who also constructed the Master ton supply scheme, were the engineers, and the Dunedin Iron Company erected the nipo lino from the diversion tunnel'to the power house. Mr Fryday, the petitioner, js a weltknown dairy farmer at Ngaero, a village between Eltham and Stratford.