HYDRO-ELECTRICITY

Grey River Argus, 17 April 1929, Page 6

HYDRO-ELECTRICITY

SCHEME OUTLINED ~ BY ENGINEER Ratepayers’ Approval AT MEETING IN TOWN HALL A final appeal was made by members of the Grey Power Board at the Town HaJi bast evening in support oi the hydro-eledt?icity ’loan concerning which a poll of ratepayers will take place to-day. A. fairly large end representative attendance of ratepayers attended the meeting, and accorded the speakers an attentive hearing. At the conclusion of the speeches several questions were answered to the satisfaction of those concerned, and a resolution w’as passed unanimously approving of the hydro-elec-tricity scheme, and urging the ratepayers to support it. Among those present were Messrs D. Vickerman and Lancaster, consulting engineers to the Town Board. Mr F. A. Kitchingham presided and introduced the speakers. Mr 11. Vickerman, addressing the gathering, said he had been asked to give a few facts concerning the Arnold scheme, so that they would be betten able to follow the speakers who came after him. As they were aware, his partner. Mr Lancaster, and himself had been engiged by the Board to report on the hydro-electricity propet al, and also the question of extending the present steam plant. After looking into the proposition they Lad come to the conclusion that it was much cheaper to ure water than steam, and they had recommended the Board accordingly. He knew of a lot of pec < pie who thought that coal was cheaper but they wouldn’t think so any longer if they had gone into the facts as they (lhe engineers) had done. He had met a prominent man in Christchurch who said he was not in favour of the scheme, but when he was asked why, l.e didn’t even know the price of coal or any of the facts: and had admitted that he had advocated steam at first tnd had got Io sti'k to it! Mr Vickerman went on to explain the scheme and illustrated h s remarks by means of a blackband. The plant was to bo built near a series of bends in tho river at Kamaka. A dam would be made there and also a tunnel; the water being carried away by pipes to the opposite side of the river; and after it had passed through the turbines it would go into e race. There were a number of rapids in that part of the river which made it especially suitable for the purpose. A railway slaion was nearby and that would make it cheaper to carry out the work. They had adopted the Arnold scheme firstly because it was cheaper; sec ondly, because it was the most reliable; v.nd thirdly because it could be readily extended as the load increased. A lot of people were saying that the scheme was too big, but he would point out to them that while they would get 2500 K.W. from it, the fer.y boat ‘•Maori” had an installation which had 4500 h.p. The cost of the scheme would be about £24,000, much the same ns the cost of the Waipo i scheme which had supplied Dunedin for so many year?. Many of them might fear a rate, but he wished to point out that the Waipori plant showed a net profit of £250,000 after 21 years; and he was cu te convinced that the Arnold River scheme would be equally successful. With hydro schemes a lot depended on the reliability of the river. In the Arnold they had a fine regular flow of water. The installation had been estimated to 5OO cusecs and when lhe river was tested during tho dry spell last summer there were 725 cusecs. The idea was also abroad that steam was more reliable than hydro. People had got that idea by reading of breakdowns in the papers. Tho trouble, however, was always due to the reticula'ion, and not to the water turbines, vhich were more reliable than steam cues, and were easier to put in. With the Arnold scheme they would have two 1800 h.p. turbines, and two transmission line?; the idea being that if one was out of order, the other could be used to give the supply. It would also be possible to increase the wate» power by raising the dam. and control ling the water from Lake Brunner. Bf this means they could increase the supply to 10,000 hp. The speaker referred- to the lengthy consideration which had been given the scheme by the engineers. Since it had been approved by the Loans Board he had gone over it again. He had every confidence that it could be done, and had given the Board a guarantee in writing that they were prepared to curry out the work at the amount stated. He had every confidence in its success, and of the many schemes he had looked into, he considered it to be one of the best. Mr Vickerman concluded by infimating that he would be pleased to answet any questions at the conclusion of the meeting.

Mr C. Uddstrom (Cobden) briefly reviewed the activities of tho past and present Power Boards, and outlined the hydro scheme. He considered that v/hat little bit he had done had met with the approval of Cobden. A Voice: Quite right ChaYlie. (Laughter). Mr Uddstrom compared the figure” respecting the various schemes, and reviewed tho financial position of the Board; concluding with an earnest ap peal for the support of the loan proposals. Mr J. W. Greenslade (Chairman of ♦ he Power Board) in the course of his remarks stressed the point that it was all a matter of capital cost and expenditure. The Board was not married to the hydro scheme or the steam plant; it wa s a matter of costs. What they advocated w r as in the interest*

of the ratepayers. The Arnold scheme was estimated to give 2500 K.W. and 1 ♦ c cost £22,120, but they proposed to add another £2OOO, which made it approximately £24,000. An extension of the steam plant would cost £32,000, and if they bought power from the West•end Power Coy. it would cost- them £38,880. By adopting the Arnold scheme they Would effect a saving of £6,907, the increased cost being only interest and sinking fund—£7,96s, leaving the actual increase in expendi tuer £988; but for that £9,88 they would get 2500 K.W. as against tho present 1000 K.W. ‘‘lt that’s not good business I eat my hat—and its a bun hat too!” (Laughter). Mr Greenslade went on to review the financial position of the Board showing that its present revenue was £21,000. while all that {required pay Aor the hydro scheme was £24.000 a year. He also quoted figures showing that in 1927 there wedo 729 consumers, and their revenue w'as £9028, but this had been gradually ilncrofased until last year- when they had 1755 consumers and their revenue was £21.000. This year, however, the dredge would be running and that would mean another £2500 in revenue. The .* peaker concluded with an eloquent appeal to tho ratepayers to fully consider the issue and remember that with it was wrapped up the future prosperity of the district. (Applause).

Mr Jas. O ’Brien stated t*hat he was retiring from the Board owing to the pressure of public duties, but before he did so, he thought it only right that he should tell the ratepayers who had elected/him what he thought of the loan proposals. The speaker referred briefly to the policy of the old Board which he contended was a great mistake. The present Board had come tu the position when they would have to increase the pl-ant, as they already had a mad of 1040 K.W. and the plant was only supposed to give .1000 K.W. They had gone into the matter very thoroughly for the past 18 months, and had fully considered the three pro(ZObais —namely, a hydro scheme, extensions to the steam plant, and tho purchase of power from the Westland Powe* Coy.; iand finally? they had com© to the conclusion that the hydro scheme was the best. Mr O ’Brien went on to speak of the steady increase in the Board’s revenue and the number cf consumers. Both the industrial and the domestic loads were increasing. During the last six months they had installed no less than 40 cookers. The ratepayers did not stand to lose a penny piece by the adoption of the scheme. If they went in for an extension to the rtcam plant it would cost them another £lO,OOO. The plant had cost £6OO for repairs alone last year, while the power from the Westland Power Coy. would cost between £38,000 and £42.000, and they Would sim have to have the steam plant as a stand-by. That was against £24,000 for which they could do the job themselves. Mr O’Brien here mentioned ♦hat tiiere were certain influences ar work again*t the scheme; and when, he was in Wellington he had to bring the Chairman of the Boa"d, ami Secretary and Engineer to disprove certain statements that h-ad been made. Any other scheme would cost them f om £l6 000 to £l9 000 more. THE ONLY CRITIC WORTHY OF A REPLY. There was lone gdn tieman in tho town, continued the speaker, who had been honourable enough to place his name at the bottom of his letter in the paper. He referred to Mr D. Tennent. He was the only critic he was going to reply to, because he thought he was the only one worthy pf a reply. (Applause). Mr O’Brien proceeded to quote from the “Evening Star” of Dec. 3, 1924, when he said “the change over occurred.” Mr Tennent had then stated at a meeting of the Harbour Board that the steam plant was going to pay for itself in six yeais, and by that time they would he able to investigate all the other schemes available. The speaker said that there was no doubt that according to Mr Tennent’s remarks—“other schemes” included hydro. Mr Tennent had also stated at that time that the water at Dobson was not suitable as it was too brackish; yet they had been drinking that wa'or for tlv* last 30 years. On April 28, 1925, a circular was issued by Messrs H. F. Doogan and D. Tennent wherein t!;.? ratepayers were asked: “Do you consider the Board is justified in adopting a hydro scheme, when it has built up the load by steam cheeper?” Mr O’Brien pointed out that the present Board had bui’t un the load as far as possible, and the fac's rnd figures went to rhow that hydro was the cheaper proposition. Jn conclusion he asked them “not to be towed by the chariot of a private company.” Those who approved the scheme were men who dealt in machinery or repairs, or had power to sell. The Board’s scheme had been approved by engineers of the highest integrity; and no less than seven engineers had been engaged upon it. He spoke of the need for cheap power to develop industry. Electricity had made it possible for two old mines to be re-opened at Dobson, end a third was wanting current, but they could only let them have it at night when there was no peak load, lie appealed to them to have faith in the future of their district and to help it along for all it was worth. (Loud applause).

Messrs J. Mulcare and W. Clayton (County member s of the Board), and J. B. Kent briefly endorsed the remarks of the previous speakers. After several questions had been answered the resolution approving the loan proposals was moved by Mr’'Carroll and carried unanimously. The meeting concluded with a vote of thanks to the chair. APPROVED AT ROA. The members of the Grey EVctrie Power Board addressed a meeting of ratepayers at Roa on Monday evening. Messrs Mulcare (member), J. G Lancaster (Consulting Engineer), and McDowall (Secretary), put the Board’s case. During .the course of

his remarks Mr Mulcare explained the scheme and tho extent to which the Board had gone to ensure everything was in order. The Board, he said, had the backing of something like seven reputable engineers, while the Board did not know of -one reputable engineer who opposed the scheme. Be stated that the steam scheme meant rates without doubt and that as a fact the development > of the Arnold was the only course to pursue.

Mr Lancaster explained th c scheme and pointed, out its exceptional economic advantages over other hydro schemes. The cost of construction per K.W., as a post war one, was still a trifle lerfs than that of Waipori, which was built prior to the war and wa-s recognised as one of the cheapest schemes in Australasia.

Sere al questions were asked by the audience and answered satisfactorily. The meeting carried unanimously a vote of confidence and approval of the Arnolld scheme. The meeting was presided over by Mr W. Wild, who was accorded the usual vote of thanks. POWER BOARD LOAN (To the Editor.) Sir. Tho real issues surrounding the Power Board Loan poll are well covered up in the mass of propaganda issued by thc hydro-maniacs. This is only what was to be expected from members who gained their seats by promising to go one better than the former members; a lot o f rash preelection promises were made, and now are to be honoured at the expense of tho ratepayer?. The main ques- 1 tion is, whether we ar e to pay £lOO,000, or perhaps twice that, for something that can be got by an addit.onai expenditure of £25 000. No hydro •chemo in New Zealand has been -built. for anything approaching the estimate, and judging by past experience the ratepayers are likely to be saddled with an Expenditure of £200,000 before they know where they are. The alleged offer by the engineers to do the work for tie cstima7) may be dismissed as platform rhetoric. It is highly improbable that gentlemen of their standing wouuj lend themselves to an offer which th. • members of the Board well know they are prohibited by law from accepting. In all the very clever stuff put out by the Board. therH is not one word to prove the necessity .for further borrowing than the £25,000 already authorised; and there is eome -doubt whether even that is wanted. If thc NJlw River dredge goev> out of action there will be more power to ..pare than the Board can sell for years to come. More than a fair share cf misrepresentation has been directed to show that th l ‘few outlying districts not now served can get their current onlly if the present proposals are carried. Places like Rotcmanu can never be economically served by a central sia'ion, and it would bi J just as wuong and wasteful to build transmission Qines to unpayable places under a hydro scheme as under the existing steam| system. Thc main function of a Power Board ils to provide the domestic supply; the pres; <nt plant has done this, and continues to do it, most efficiently. This is what chiefly concerns the ratepayers, and there is no reason why they should rush into huge exp use just on the off-chance that some coal-mine or sawmill will want current. The passing of the Power Board Loan, with thc consequent heavy rate hanging over property owners, will wrt*ck the prospects of the Borough loan. If the latter la passed the ratepayer? will at least get something for their money, and remove the di. graceful conditions that Axist in the best residential quarter of tho town. My advice to my fallow ratepayers is—Stick to what you have go% and be thankful that y*ou already possess a satisfactory electric supply at a reasonable cost. Thanking you. —I am etc., RATEPAYER.