Grey River Argus THURSDAY, April 18, 1929. ADOPTION OF ARNOLD RIVER SCHEME.

Grey River Argus, 18 April 1929, Page 4

Grey River Argus THURSDAY, April 18, 1929. ADOPTION OF ARNOLD RIVER SCHEME.

The verdict yesterday of the ratepayers of the Power Board Disirftt of Grey in favour of replacing the steam service at Dobson, with the Arnold River hydro scheme, while it came to nobody as a surprise, goes to show that a spirit of enterprise still animates the people of the district, and that the confidence' which in former years led to this becom ing the most populous and influential part of the West ' Coast continues to abide here. The re suit goes also to confirm the stand taken by the members of the present Board when they joined issiie with their predecessors bn the original diversion from hydro to steam- The fact, that a majority of the ratepayers railed to vote yesterday may be regarded as an indication that they, regarded the issue with equanimity, but it is significant that the rural residents were, on the whole, favourable to the Arnold proposition, because they naturally would regard the alternatives from the standpoint both of capacity and economy, whereas many townspeople, enjoying already a service equal to their immediate requirements, preferred to let others decide the issue in accordance with their particular needs. At the same time, it is doubtless due largely to the unanimity and enthusiasm of the Board members in advocating and explaining it to the public that the Arnold scheme owes.its adop tioh. Had they preferred to follow the line of least resistance, the' extension of the steam plant would have probably been their resort at this juncture, since the Dobson service is an established fact, whereas the hydro venture, is one bound up with the future, and if the Board had either chosm to disagree, or merely to extend the . steam scheme this would without doubt have c-ar-i ried a majority of the people ; with it. The decision, therei fore, to be guided, not by exi pedieney, but by principle, and to : obtain in colir.equence the best i expert direction, was commepd- : able,' and it is very gratifying to i all Who took the long-time view i when the policy of prudence i finds the public so far-sighted ■ and optimistic as to give it the ■ seal of their approval. The Ari nold scheme has had, indeed, to : run the gauntlet of much critii cism, not only when it was first ■ envisaged by the advocate who ■ has stuck to it through thick and : 'liin—Mr Charles Uddstrom — i but even in its final form when i '.he designers, Messrs Vickernian : and Lancaster, had to set forth i its merits for the experts of the : State. If there is anyone who is entitled to commendation for its

triumph, it certainly is Mr Uddstrom, whose judgment, while it may have required emendation in detail, has on the whole been amply justified, and his disinterested and steadfast campaign on behalf of the undertaking entitles him to the gratitude of the -public of the district. The Board chose to make no extravagant promises, and therefore” refrained from pointing out the probabili ty which may now be mentioned of the Rewanui State Colliery being electrified from the Board’s system in the near future- It should be a safe predietion to sav that in the course of a few years electricity should here be as cheap and plentiful in relation to the demand as it is in any other part of New Zealand. While we commend the Board for providing amply against future requirements, however, we shall take

the opportunity in due course to urge that the domestic consumers shall be given concessions no les. than the larger consumers, the terms at present available for the latter being so exceptionally favourable that a readjustment eventually should be quite feas ible. The public may now be made aware of the fact that had ‘he loan proposal been rejected, the steam installation would have entailed serious difficulty for the Board, in the face of inc alternatives of an unsatisfied demand or an increased prediction cost. There now is, however, every confidence that the hydro scheme vvill be established economically, and that the estimate of the cost certainly will not be exceeded, whilst the disposal of the present plant ought to help in liquidating the expenditure entailed. In any event, the Board’s revenue has only to maintain its recent rate of growth to ensure in time a margin enabling the charges to be revised, and the effect of any rate reduction must be to in crease the current ’lhe poll therefore has been a /ery satisfactory one, the results of which should increasingly ben efit lhe district as time goes on.