Fresh Mere For Omaspere Power Development Scheme

Northern Advocate, 26 June 1946, Page 4

Fresh Mere For Omaspere Power Development Scheme

tSpecial.> KAIKOHE, This Day.

A fresh approach t<> the Government if, to |,o made by the Day ol Islands power Board lor the granting ol a

licence to the board to develop electric power at Lake Gmapere. Board members yesterday commented strongly on the contrast between the present position in regard to power shortages in the North and the position that would have obtained had the Gmapere scheme been allowed to go ahead. The Mibjeel was raised after consideration of decisions reached at a mass meelinp, of larmers at Kailaia. which asked Ihe board to make another move to induce the Government to revoke its refusal of a licence to develop Lake Ornapere lor power. When Mr L.. M. Bane (Whangaroa) said Gmapere power would have obviated the present rationing troubles and urged that the board should reapply tor a licence. Mr K. F. Bradley (Mangnnui) said there was m> chance of its being used for the benefit of the local area. i FOR WHOLE COUNTRY? “Lake Gmapere is one of the natural resources of this country and its power would undoubtedly have to tie fed into the North Island system, he declared. “You could never get away from that." “But if the Government had given us a licence when we asked lor it three years ago we should now have been self-supporting. Wo should have been feeding back power into the national transmission lines instead ol drawing our full consumption Irmn them,'' interposed the consulting' cn- j gineer (Mr L. MandenoL Mr Bradley instanced the Waikato | River, which, had the local people claimed its development for themselves. would not have been able to supply power to the huge area that it now does.

“What about Whangarei and th Wairua Falls',’" asked Mr P. J. Coyn .(Kaikohe). "The surplus power fron

Wairua is sold back to the national system.” Mr Bradley reminded the board that the licence lor private development of Wairua Falls was granted over 35 years ago. “You won t duplicate that licence now,” he said. Mr Mandeno told the meeting that the YVairere Power Board was even new making an’agreement with the State to sell its surplus power into the national lines. A MATTER OF POLICY The chairman (Mr L. Peace) commented that other licences were granted in the days when different policies obtained in Wellington. The present policy, he was certain, dictated clearly that the PWD must develop the country’s electrical resources. He considered it a slim chance that that policy could be changed. Mr G. H. McKenzie (Bay of Islands) suggested that, had the Waikato people developed their river, they would have been only too pleased to sell their surplus, '‘arid we would have been getting power just as we do today," he said. Mr McKenzie then moved that the board make a further application, to the Government for a licence for the Bay of Islands Power Board to generate power at Lake Gmapere. MiLane seconded and the motion was passed unanimously, although one member said he was convinced it was merely wasting time.