LAKE HOCHSTETTER

Grey River Argus, 28 July 1925, Page 7

LAKE HOCHSTETTER

AS POWER SOURCE. THE TRTBUTOR INTER VIEWED. Air John Wilson, a West Coast pionper, and a man of wide gold-mining experience in Westralia, Now Zealand end elsewhere, who latterly has boon working at Lake Hochstetter, th ■ water from which he holds at present on tribute, was a visitor dur ing the week-end to Greymouth. On being questioned bv a reporter as to what ho thinks of the Lake as a hydroelectrical proposition, Afr Wilson re marked that in taking the water rights there on tribute from tho debenture holders in Australia recently, he hsd had in mind tho idea of the property being the ideal hydro scheme for ' Jus district lust as much as ho had the idea of its partial utilisation for slirc- ; ng. Others were evidently now alive in its possibilities, however, for there was now on foot in Canterbury a project to secure the rights of Lake Hochstettor. as soon as his own option end Q l His tribute, of course, was one for a limited term. Asked who was behind the Canterbury syndicate, Air W’ilson showed an advertisement in the Cmterhnry daily papers over the £i<*natiire of Air McDougall, the well-known Christchurch legal man. relative tn JK e formation of a companv for Lake Hwh stettor water rights. He( Air Wilson' was desirous only of water temporarily sufficient for his gold-mining undertaking at Callaghan’s Creek; but he h. d secured the option on very easy termj, better, no doubt, than would now bn obtainable from the debenture holders, when they were aware that others were after tho property. From his pa.-j knowledge of the engineering work, and verdict of O ‘Conor and Gow, he realised in Australia, as soon as he heard of the poxver scheme here, that Hochstetter was the ideal hydro-pro-position, and he considered that, if h” could get enough water to work the area at Callaghan’s Creek in which he was interested, he could depose < f tho rights readily, and to The advantage of Iho district, should the lake 1 ' harnessed for power. lie recognised it as the finest hydro-proposition in the South Island from the standpoint both of capacity and economy, because while £lOO,OOO had been spc»nt in raising the lake level and providing tu i neis and pipe lines by the company who were given the lights over It in recognition of that expenditure, the whole thing could be had to-day fcr less than one-fifth of that outlay less than £20,060. The Government had itself spent that amount on making available the water for use at a c'»' lance from the overflow (which -m.-

by the late John Gow, a most weighty cngi'iieering authority, had been estimat cd at 90 to 100 heads of water trr 300 days per year), and the conditions of his tribute were such that a deposit of £lOOO now would secure over tie lake an option for nine months, with the certainty of the option being extended for another nine months. I'c had been getting gold in the old slub e boxes there, t ing out in a brief p• iod, over 75 ozs. He had been ask-d by a miller to let him have some of the water for power, as the option gave him the right to sell it at l()d per head, and ho was at present the only man in New Zealand, empowered to dispose of the rights or the water.

"Do you wish to dispose of it’ asked the reporter.

"Provided I get some water, for a couple of years, a«yway, for use fu; sluicing at Callaghan’s Creek, I’m willing to dispose of the rights at once." ‘‘Have you submitted the facts t> the Grey Power Board?" was the next query.

No, but I would be ready to do so if tho Board were interested. They could have the first, refusal. There is about seven thousand horse-power avail able ,and the generating could I<done at Maitai, near Ngahere. I du candidly, .not wish to retain the rigms Lcyuml tne small quantity needed . t Callaghan’s, and I am desirous of dis posing of them. I don't think inv terms will be obtainable from anybody eise. I shall be glad if you giv3 public an idea of the facts. That is all that should be needed, although I luow the advantages of Lake Hochrtetter over any rival power propcsition, iiietuuuig the Arnold River .ml To Araha, are known to a good numbei of people hereabouts.”

Jeu think the property is li„c!y ic Ifl’art from the Canterburv 1L ' i ' 1 ' aro other concerns ti » are likely to be after it. About that 1 say nothing at present. Iq u Cvr loin that a 7000 horsepower proposition w.JI not long remain neglect.. 1 nowadays, and I do not wisl , my tnbutc. I mention this merely that you may ] et it b e known to the piiunc, avid they can please tiiemsmves ot course. ’ ’