The Northern Advocate Daily THURSDAY, DECEMBER 5, 1935. ELECTRICITY FOR THE NORTH

Northern Advocate, 5 December 1935, Page 6

The Northern Advocate Daily

THURSDAY, DECEMBER 5, 1935. ELECTRICITY FOR THE NORTH

Registered* for transmission through the post as a Newspaper.

• ■ Prior to the' General Election we urged that when ; the excitement of the contest had subsided the people of Northland should set themselves seriously to the task of securing the supply of electricity throughout the whole of the territory : where reticulation is practicable!"lt,'is. only in respect of electric power that Northland is lagging behind other portions of the Dominion, and there is general agreement that when the great boon which electricity provides is , available, the development of the, area, already a subject of eulogistic comment, will be materially hastened. It is not necessary to labour this matter, for the advantages which electricity brings domestically, industrially and agriculturally are self-evident. "What is necessary is that the people of Northland; should consider ways by which they may assist the wide reticulation so much desired. This is a matter in which ratepayers in the "Whangarei borough are intimately concerned. Whangarei borough has for many years enjoyed an electrical service. The borough now stands like an island in the district allotted to the North Auckland Power Board. It is obvious that if Whangarei were in'eluded in the Power Board’s district, the Power Board would be very greatly advantaged, as Whangarei’s consumption of power would for many years represent a large proportion of the board’s total output. Should ANhangarei throw in its lot with the North Auckland Power Board? Could it do so if it Avished? These are questions which have been discussed on former occasions, but it seems to us that a public seiwice Avould be rendered if the whole matter Avere again rcvieAved in order that the ratepayers of the borough and of the poAver board district, might be placed in full possession of the facts. Whangarei’s position can be stated in a few Avords. In 1915 it entered into an agreement Avith the Wilsons (N.Z;) Portland Cement Company • to take poAver from that company for a period of 43 years—until 1958. The agreement gives the borough the right to one-third' of the total amount of electrical energy generated at AVairua by the company, but not exceeding 500 horse-power. In addition to this agreement another has been entered into providing for a further 1 supply. This agreement is termin- : able on either party giving ; eighteen months’ notice. The borough council has decided that, in the event of the agreement Avith ■

the cement company being broken by the Government exercising its right to take over the Wairua Falls station, it will purchase its supply of electricity in bulk at Government rates from the North Auckland Power Board’. This would mean that'the power board would supply the borough at cost, but tiie diversity of load—which affects the respective peak loads —• would make the transaction profitable to the power board. Whether the borough can go further than this in an effort to assist the reticulation of Northland is a matter about which opinions will differ, but there will, we feel, be general agreement that the whole matter should be thoroughly investigated, a long view always being the determining factor in discussion. It is clear that if Whangarei is eventually to cooperate with the power hoard, it should participate in policy discussions of the hoard. So long as it stands outside the board it cannot participate in those discussions. and in developments arising from those discussions. The wisdom of going into the whole question is therefore manifest. / ■ :