The Evening Star THURSDAY, MARCH 7, 1929. WAIPORI

Evening Star, Issue 20118, 7 March 1929, Page 10

The Evening Star THURSDAY, MARCH 7, 1929. WAIPORI

It is a month since the public became aware of the possibility of the purchase of the Waipori headworks by the Government, At a City Council meeting held on February 6 the Electric Power and Lighting Committee was authorised to continue negotiations touching , a sale. Since then, it appears, no further move has been made, for Cr Shaeklock, chairman of the committee, told councillors that ho and his colleagues had not yet started on the negotiations with the Government for the sale. Possibly they have good and sufficient reason for disregarding in the meantime the instruction which they, as a committee, sought and received from the whole council. However, no reason was proffered. None was, in fact, demanded. It may be that Cr Scott’s view of the position, expressed early in last night’s discussion, deterred other councillors from doing what we should have deemed an obvious duty on behalf of ratepayers. Cr Scott said that frolu his standpoint the whole thing was only a joke. He is a member of the Electric Power and Lighting Committee, and according to him that committee merely “ acquiesced ” in the chairman, the town clerk, and the city electrical engineer following up a tentative suggestion made to them by high officials in the Public Works Department. Cr Scott said ho did not believe that the Government, bad the slightest idea of purchasing Waipori. If that is so, 'why was any offer made, however tentative? It is just as well to recapitulate the facts. Year after year the demand for Waipori current has increased at the rate of 17 per cent, per annum. The City Corporation was faced with the problem of satisfying the prospective demand. It obviously could not be done from Waipori without greatly increasing the water storage. The matter was taken in hand in what appeared to be ample time, but there have been so many unforeseen delays that it is certain that in a very short time the water available cannot develop at the present power house the power demanded. It was then proposed to erect another power house lower down the river and develop additional power there from the water discharged from the present’ power house. When permission to do so was sought from the Government, officials of the latter pointed out that an estimated expenditure of £IOO,OOO, merely to tide over until storage works estimated to cost about £230,000 were completed, was not the best of business. Then two alternative propositions were mooted on behalf of the Government. One was that the Government would sell the corporation power in a minimum quantity of 5,000 k.-w. at £8 per k.w. per annum. This would mean the corporation acting as middleman without profit, and has not merited consideration in view of the other proposal. This latter was that the Government should buy the Waipori headworks outright at the actual cost to the corporation, and would supply the corporation with power at the same price as it would have cost the corporation itself to develop it. That offer, it will be observed, means that the Government would be content to work Waipori without profit, allowing the City Corporation to derive its present profits by merely acting as middleman. The benefits the Government would achieve would be those accruing from the Jinking up of the South Island hydro-electric schemes. The propositions were made months ago, when the Coates Government was still in office. All that has since transpired is that the City Corporation has been assured that the offer remains unaffected by the change of Government. The Public Works Department has been notified, that, the Electric Power and Lighting Committee has been authorised to negotiate, but this has so far evoked Up response. Failing adequate explanation this is both discourteous and injurious to the corporation. A swift decision, one way or the other, is imperative. If the Government does not buy, the corporation must at once proceed with No. 3 power station as a temporary measure, and this cannot be done because the Government has not yet sanctioned that enterprise. In the meantime the corporation is proceeding'with the big dam project. Should the Governmeht decide to buy both these enterprises would be unnecessary. And, as regards the big dam, the position roughly- is that there are 1 grave doubts iyhether it would not be,

i in. a way, superfluous in any case. To satisfy prospective demands for power the average draw off of water woiild possibly exceed the average inflow. So important has this aspect become that in responsible circles such stress is being laid on tho darn’s Value.from the flood-prevention point of view ‘ that its primary purpose of ensuring constant adequate power is running the risk of taking only secondary place. This ■being so, the wisdom of incurring such huge expenditure ought to bo reviewed, oven at this late hour. This alone is adequate reason for seriously considering apy alternative which .would o.bviato the dam. So far as we can see, nothing useful was derived from last night’s discussion,, most of the councillors partaking in it appearing to have but the haziest ideas of the .situation or the issues, despite their having been for some weeks in possession of a confidential report covering tho matter. Councillors must realise that further waste of time in deciding the future ownership of Waipori may mean a huge needless expense to the city, or inviting a crisis through inability to cope with the demand for power. Cr Shacklock has intimated clearly enough that unless some steps are taken now there will be trouble three years hence.