WATERPOWER DEVELOPING.

Greymouth Evening Star, 7 October 1908, Page 4

WATERPOWER DEVELOPING.

THE DOMINION'S RESOURCES.

THE GOVERNMENTS NEW SCHEME

[OUH PARLIAMENTARY KEPORTEB.]

WELLINGTON, This -Day.

The Hon. W. Hall-Jones moved the second reading of the Public Works Act Amendment Bill ,which provides for the issue of licenses authorising the use of water power for the production of electricity. He said the Government could not spare the money at the present time to develop the dominion's water power owing to the needs of the country'in the matter of railways and roads. It was, theroforo, proposed to give private nersons an opportunity to undertake the work under the Rill.' The Govcrnor-in-Council might issue a license to any person or body corporate to water from any fall, river, stream or other source for the purpose of generating electricity, to lie used for lighting or power production. The Rill provided nil the necessary machinery. The Leader of the Opposition said (hat he was heartily in accord with the principle of the Rill, which should have been passed some years previously. New Zealand had an "enormous supply of water power, but in the past the Government had stood in the way of its use. Ihe Rill should have been brought before the House earlier in the session. Mr Hanan urged that tho rights of the State should be carefullv conserved. Mr Mander said that tho State should reserve to itself the right to take over the water power when it could do so. In the, meantime it should not adopt a. dog in the manner policy. Mr Barclay said that the Rill went too far. in that it empowered the Government to part for all time with great national assets. A Government might come, into power which would disregard the interests of the people alto-ether. Mr Grav raid that New Zealand had millions of pounds worth of power running to waste in its rivers. He was sorry that the Government had not seen its way to come forward with a big development scheme, but apparently the public money was required for other and more urgent purposes. He was glad, therefore, that corporate bodies and private persons were to be given an opportunity to develop the water powers. He would object to any proposal to give national assets for an indefinite period, and all licenses to use water power should contain provision for resumption by the State. Mr Witty said the Rill should have been brought down years ago. He felt, however that it would be a mistake to hand over' the water power to private persons The licenses should be issued only to local bodies. , , .. . . The Minister of Public Works said that the State could not undertake everything, and it had become obvious that the water power must be developed outside the Government, In regard to the term of the licenses, members would recognise that a city like Christehurch would not spend a large sum on developing water power, unless it had something more than a twentyone or even a fifty years' license. The Rill would give tho State power to terminate a license if the occasion arose. The Rill was read a second time.