Hydro-Electric Power.

Hawke's Bay Tribune, Volume XI, Issue 199, 16 August 1921, Page 3

Hydro-Electric Power.

THE HAVELOCK SCHEME. VISIT TO MARAETOTARA. GOOD PROGRESS BEING MADE. 1 f At the kind invitation of the chair- ( man of the H avelock North Town ‘ Board (Mr. E. C. Clarkson), a “Tri- 1 bune’ ’representative paid a visit, in 1 company with the Rev. R. Waugh, ter < the Maraetotara hydro-electric works i yesterday. < On the way out four cases of copper i wire, each weighing half a ton, were - passed on the roadside, together with ( the poles. This wire will be used to i transmit the current when generated. ; and various places were pointed out ' where the line will go. It is proposed * to build a concrete post in the middle of the Tuki Tuki riverbed to carry the wire across. Arriving at the Maraetotara stream, the party first saw the men’s quarters. These consisted of six or seven ! tents snugly placed just below the road level and near the stream. A substantial iron cook-house, with range set ii i concrete ,has been erected, and here : the men are well catered for by the 1 cook and his boy. Some few chains further up are works, set in most beautiful surroundings. The banks are covered with wil lows and shrubs of various kinds, with i a bit of native bush on the opposite j side. The stream runs over a small clili I and on the top-the contractor, Mr. N. Hodges, of Masterton, is building tn* ! dam. Although he has only been going about six weeks, wonderful pro- ! gress has been made. He has about 14 men working there, and the scene is , one of great activity. The dam itself I is two-thirds completed, and the men I are busy blasting out and making a wav for the great cement P’Pes, each I of which weighs 15cwt„ and are thing feet in diameter. The party were shown all oyer tin works and’the Rev. R. Waugh was able to explain all the ™Amgs °f t e dam, which will be six ieet deep. 1 8 will keep back the water tor - 8 chain i .+••<»•» m regulating the storage. - < i tute seems to have fitted the place for I nn’K use as the foundation of tie ' d-un is on'hard, flinty rock, with high rocky sides, making tt an idea placw * tor a dam. Tne dam is built in toe I form of. a bow with the bend «P-stream this making It much stronger to withstand the. pressure of water which J . will have to hold. The water will have a drop of 69 feet down the pipe-line to the power-house. , Everything is being done in a businesslike way. The shingle for the concrete is brought from the Tuki Turn and tipped down the bank. Ihen it is nut into an up-to-date concrete mixer, and when ready is put into a tip-up ■ trolly on a rail and dumped down w here I re jluch has been said about there, not I being enough water in the stream. 1 ! is estimated that about 20 cubic feet 1 of water per second is going over the fall, and this after a long drought. 1. is also estimated that there will be from 15 to 16 times as much power available as is being used in Havelock to-dav. The public of Havelock may rest satisfied with the progress that is being made towards the completion oi the scheme. Before returning homo the party were shown a sulphur spring, which proclaimed its presence long befoie it was reached. AUCKLAND SCHEMES. STATEMENT BY MINISTER. FUNDS MUST BE ASSURED. Auckland, Aug. 15. A deputation from the Hydroelectric League waited upon the Hon. J. G. Coates to emphasise the need for power throughout the province and to offer the assistance of the league in whatever way it might be used for the speedy development of the Arapuni supply. The deputation was one of the largest and most rpresentative for a long time, the majority of the local bodies of the metropolitan area and the commercial and industrial organisations of the city having members present. Mr. Coates said they all realised the need for cheap power. Cheapness oi current was a vital factor. these schemes were of national importance, but tne commercial aspect had to be considered. They should rest on a sound foundation and pay their way without being assisted unduly by the State. Referring to authorities ioi power schemes, Mr. Coates reminded iiis hearers that the authorities did not mean money. In regard to the Horahora plant, lie said that at night there was a load going to waste. Hu proposed to offer this surplus, amounting to 1,500 of 2,000 horse power, to this district for general use. In passing he referred to the possibility of the local authority arranging to “feed in” to the line from Horahora power generated at Huntly. It would be cheaper to carry, current than to carry coal. This, however, was merely an opinion. The question was one for] the Auckland people to decide . The Department already had the poles for the line at various stations and was importing copper wire and insulators. “Now ve como to the question of finance,” proceeded the Minister, “andyou want me to‘find £1,377,000.” • Smiles from the deputation. “I have already said that before I can make a start, with the exception of the pottering work, the finance “L must ho secured, so that the Depart- | ment may be in a position to see the I project through in five years from the | time the work is commenced. That is still the position.” Until Mr. Massey returned he would ho unable to say how the financial position was. Moqey could ho got at a price. Some people said, “Do not worry about tho cost. Got the work done.” He did not doubt that the contractors wo’-’ld he willing to find the money at 6 per cent., but if that uyre done the contractors would “take it out of them” in another wav. It would he far better to wait until the oountrv could find the money. It was his humble opinion that the oountrv should do tho work. Ho was not going to bo hustled off his feet. Ho was going to try and keep calm and carry through the scheme on commercial lines. JTp realised that nowhere else in New Zealand wore thorp such possibilities for the use of hydro-elec-tric power, nor where there would be spoh a demand for power. Renlving to a ouestion whether the Government would consider granting a concession to anyone prepared to develop the whole scheme, the Minister indicated thnf while tho Government would consider any proposal for tho development of power he would not he in favour of concessions to private capital.