HYDRO-ELECTRICITY

Greymouth Evening Star, 18 March 1922, Page 3

HYDRO-ELECTRICITY

LAKE TEKAPO SCHEME. (Per Press Association.) TIMARU, March 17. Air. Alassey visited Lak o Tekapo today, accompanied by the Engineer of the .Public. Works Department. He was met there by about 300 representatives of agriculture, pastoral an 1 industrial interests. The object of the invitation was to impress the Prime Minister with the potentialities of Tekapo as a source of electricity and convince him that the reports of experts are correct: and the Tekapo otters an easy, safe and cheap source of power. After the inspection of the river, which it is proposed to harness,, details of the scheme were explained and a number of speakers expressed a strong desire that the .Government should authorise a provisional power board to proceed with the work. Air. Alassey received the statements and arguments sympathetically and said the scheme seemed to him, as a layman, an excellent one, particularly as no dam was required. In his opinion there would be no power available for South Canterbury from Lake Coleridge for the next 15 or 20 years, as North Canterbury would want it all. But before he could say “go ahead,” ho must consult his colleagues and promised to do this as soon as possible. Ho hoped to be able as a result of the consultation, to send a wire conveying a favourable reply. Air. Alassey then went on to the Hermitage. 'He returns to-morrow and catches the boat for Wellington.