THE H.B. TRIBUNE. TUESDAY, MARCH 16, 1920. WAIKAREMOANA.

Hawke's Bay Tribune, Volume X, Issue 79, 16 March 1920, Page 4

THE H.B. TRIBUNE. TUESDAY, MARCH 16, 1920. WAIKAREMOANA.

Ln connection with the deputation of delegates from* East Coast local bodies more directly interested in the development of hydro-electric power from Lake Waikaremoana, which waited on Ministers at the end of last week, we have, purposely delayed comment until receipt of our Wellington exchanges with extended reports of the interview. By much the fullest of these is supplied by the “New Zealand Times,” and after its careful perusal we cannot but admit a very distinct feeling of definite disappointment. This feeling is all the more accentuated because, quite recently, the Chairman of the Hawke’s Bay County Council bad found himself, as the result of an earlier interview with the Prime Minister, able to speak most, hopefully as to the attitude that would be. adopted by the Government. Judging now both by the telegraphed report recently published in our own columns and by the longer report now before us, it. can scaredj T be said that anything but a negative, result has been accorded to the efforts that have been made to get at the Government’s real intentions as to Waikaremoana. While the Minister of Public Works, just on the eve of retirement,* main tained that the. difficulty in the way lay in the question of making labour available, and apparently would not listen to the suggestion >vith regard to Maori labour to be found near the spot, the Prime Minister himself was only but very little more encouraging . In the end. the whole thing was practically shelved, with some quite hazy promise that the matter would be brought before Cabinet, and that, if approved there. Parliament would he asked to vote a special sum for development, works in supplement of the preliminary survey vote on the estimates last year. Mr. Massey, however, in making this very reserved commitment, took occasion, to indicate that parliamentary approval was very uncertain should members get the idea that its passing might prejudice the prosecution of public works in their own localities. It would thus appear as if the deputation —through no fault, of its own, for the merits of the case seem to have been well urged —had quite failed of its primary purpose, which was to get from the Ministers a definite. “yes” or “no” as to whether the early development of the Waikaremoana section of the North Island Hydro-Electric Power Scheme would have such sincere support from them that there would be a good prospect of its being actively undertaken. No such reply hasbeen elicited, and the people of the districts directly affected are left quite in a fog, with really nothing to guide them as to the direction of tne-r own future efforts beyond a recommendation, which looks rather specious, to prosecute petty and strictly local schemes that have been in contemplation, an assurance lacing given that they will ultimately be made to fit in perfectly with the big scheme when it is put through. Although this assurance is to an extent backed up by the opinion of the Government experts as pubitch expressed, we cannot but feel some mental reservation in the full accep tance of such a proposition. The institution of these small schemes cannot, we feel sure, but result in the waste of a great deal of capital at a time when its most economical use is of the utmost moment. The indeterminate position in which a matter of such special importance to a vert considerable established population, and to a very large area of land oi unlimited potential productiveness, and thus of such general importance to the whole Dominion, has beer left roust be eminently unsatisfactory to al! concerned. We trust, therefore, that those who have stunselfishly been giving their time and energies to the promotion of the scheme will not relax, but will rather redouble, their efforts, and insist on their right to have froir those in authority at least a definite statement as to whether they pro pose, or not. to support cordially the ’ prosecution of development work at Waikaremoana. The East Coast, districts will then know where they stand and how to move.