ELECTRIC POWER

Hokitika Guardian, 17 January 1936, Page 7

ELECTRIC POWER

STATEMENT OF POLICY

TOAROHA SCHEME.

WESTPORT, January 15. A statement of his policy in dealing with applications by private companies for licenses to generate and distribute electric, power was made'.in. an interview ‘to-day by the Minister for Pub lie Works (the Hon. R. Somple). Tin Minister, said one of the main purposes of his visit to the West Coast was to consider this matter; His present opinion whir that' if it would pay private companies to,-dontrol power distribu tion, there was no reason why the State should ,-not undertake this fun ctioii. He, considered that the whole System.-of power generation and distribution • throughout th e country should be controlled by the Government.'' ’O'v-';/:

The Minister recalled that he hat been approached in Nelson at the he ginning of the tour and asked by tin Hume Pipe Company, Ltd., to expedite an application for the transfei qf airight to generate power with the C-obb Valley'scheme. The company which was an Australian one. had beei given the right to generate power, bul had- feund, that!, the, aitides of association did not allow it to do .so. Il had therefore applied for permission to 'delegate'this right to a subsidiary company, and had asked him to expe dite the transfer.

"I am very hesitant about giving any license to a private company t< • develop electricity works to cater foi public consumption,” lie said. “My own opinion is that there arg too many of these companies in New Zealand The supplying of electricity should be the concern of the State, and before I giv e niy sanction to the granting of any license or any transfer of such s-

license I intend to examine the wholeposition .thoroughly. .

“The whole system of distributing -electricity is bristling, with difficulties There quarrels with power boards, counties, and cities—and serious quar r'els at 'that'. The -whole business must be-straightened 'out. The. granting of f further licenses will not,tend to help, ; but ; will rather aggravate the difficulties of the situation. The question of .who shall distribute power, is one that is/principally- responsible for my visit 'to the West Coast.” The Minister ; explained that Westland Power, Ltd., a private companj with , rigl|ts- delegated from, the Westland Ppwer 7 Board,a : .non-functioning -authority, had applied to the Public Works Department for permission t” generate power in the 'J'oaroha river, near Hokitika. Large developments that were imminent in the mining in. dnst-ry necessitated th e supply of. a considerable amount of power, and hr wpuld, have... to,, decide whether this Company should be granted a license. Before that was done, the Minister pi Mines (the Hon. P. C. Webb), the Under-Secretary for the Mines Department (Mr A. Tyndall), and the Chief Electrical Engineer of th e Pub lie Works Department (Mr F. T. M. Kissel) would visit the three sites suggested for the establishment of power generating works. However, said Mr Semple, he was not . prepared to give permission for any license so far, for if it was a payable proposition for a private company to generate power that would be of general use to the public, it would pay the State to do it instead. The Minister went on to say that an impox-tant overseas mining company had applied under the Mining Act for the right to develop power for its own use from another site, also near Hokitika. The decision whether this company should have a license rested with Mr Webb, the Minister for Mines; but he knew that Mr Webb held the same views as himself. He and Mr Webb proposed to work in close co-operation in this matter, for it was one of national importance.

“We shall gather the facts, ascertain the position from a national point of view, and then give our decision,” h c said. “My own belief is that the nation should assume complete control of the schemes in +his country for the generation and distribution of electric power.”