HYDRO-ELECTRIC WORKS.

Hawera & Normanby Star, Volume XLII, Issue XLII, 10 February 1923, Page 7

HYDRO-ELECTRIC WORKS.

1 STATEMENT BY MR BIRKS. A very favourable impression of the New Plymouth hydo-eieetric develop- j merit scheme at Lower Mangorei was ' formed by the chief electrical engineer to the Public Works Department (Mr Lawrence Birks, B.Sc.;. "1 was especially pleased with feho work from an engineering point oi view," Mr Birks told a Daily News reporter yesterday, "and by the possibilities for the extension of the scheme when required. Outside the two Government enterprises at Coleridge and Hororata, and a scheme at Waipdri Falls. Dunedin, your undertaking is the biggest in New Zealand. The New Plymouth plant, will, I suppose, generate about 2000 kilowatts, while there is room for big extensions in. the same building, which should he capable oi' generating another 2000 kilowatts. "Outside of the development of power, the electrical supply business is not very brisk at present, but soon, when we have more power available, the business will take rapid strides forward. Then municipalities will ne able to undertake electrical cooking en a general scale and the electrical supply of hot water. Both of these branches are very profitable to the producer and consumer alike. Again electric battery trucks are coming into general use now. In Christchurch fifteen of. these trucks are now on the road, vhilst 1 am glad to see that the New Plymouth Borough Council has also a couple or these trucks in use." Mr Birks, accompanied by Mr T. M. Ball (Public Works engineer) is making a tour of inspection of the \arious electrical enterprises in Taranaki. The new scheme at Tariki was investigated 'on Thursday, whilst yesterday Mr Birks visited New Plymouth and "Waitara. Before returning to Wellington on Monday, he hopes to inspect the undertakings at Kaponga, Inglewood, Opunake and Stratford.