King Country Chronicle Saturday, May 31, 1919 TE KUITI AND ELECTRICITY.

King Country Chronicle, Volume XII, Issue 1218, 31 May 1919, Page 4

King Country Chronicle Saturday, May 31, 1919 TE KUITI AND ELECTRICITY.

Interest in the national scheme for the utilisation of the unlimited water power of the country is awakening, and it is pleasing to note that in Te Kuiti the subject of hydro-electricity is being discussed. If tbe borough and district are to be included in the Arapuni scheme, no time must be lost, and the people lock to those entrusted with the management of local affairs to forward the strong claim* that could, and should, be made. The first step must be the accumulation of the necessary data, and, in this connection we have a suggestion to make. Tbe chief electrical engineer : of tbe Dominion is Mr Lawrence, Birks. Tbe remarkable success of

the Lake Coleridge scheme is largely due to his efficiency, and there can be no doubt that in him the Dominion has an officer of ability and energy. It is more than likely that, in the course of the next month or two, Mr Birks will come north to examine the Arapuni site, and we would suggest that the Mayor should ask him to make a brief stay in Te Kuiti and discuss the matter with the members of the Borough Council. In the course of an hour or two, a conference with Mr Birks would give the councillors more information than they could obtain by correspondence, and, further, such a meeting would show the officer in charge of the scheme that the district is anxious to enjoy its benefits. Mr Birks, we •re sure, would willingly supply any information required concerning the Lake Coleridge scheme, and the method of supplying current to local bodies in North Canterbury, for be has it at his finger tips. The information so obtained wonld enable the council to compare the cost of the national with the local scheme, and give an idea of the plant required in order to join the borough to the national undertaking. The step, we advocate, would be a practical one, and it might result in Te Kuiti deriving considerable benefit from the very inception of this great scheme of national development.