HYDRO-ELECTRIC POWER FOR NELSON DISTRICT

Nelson Evening Mail, Volume LXXII, 30 November 1938, Page 13

HYDRO-ELECTRIC POWER FOR NELSON DISTRICT

HON. R. SEMPLE VISITS COBB VALLEY GREATLY IMPRESSED WITH PROGRESS MADE “SCHEME WILL BE BOON TO NELSON DISTRICT” COMPANY, ENGINEERS, CONTRACTORS AND WORKMEN HEARTILY CONGRATULATED Special importance attaches to the lion. 11. Semple’s visit to the Hume (Cobb River) hydro-electric works yesterday, for had there been a Minister of Public Works less able to grasp the essential facts in an important proposition, Nelson would to-day be as far removed from the great boon by cheap hydro-electric power as it has been in the past. A practicable hydro-electric scheme dependent entirely on ordinary demand has not been among the district’s natural advantages, and it was only when the Hume Pipe Company offered to develop a major scheme (made practicable by the extent of energy it required for its own purposes as well as ordinary district requirements) that cheap hydro-electric energy became a possibility. But this involved a fundamental change in established hydro-electric policy. This change was agreed to by the previous Government, but before matters were completed it went out of office. And so far as hydro-electric power in the Nelson district was concerned, everything depended on the attitude of the Hon. R. Semple, the new Minister of Public Works, and through him of the Government of which he is a member. Mr Semple, after satisfying himself that the public interests had been adequately safeguarded, granted permission for the work to proceed and it is for this reason that special significance attaches to his visit to the Cobb Valley works yesterday.

The present position may be more easily understood if the events of past years are briefly reviewed It is no reflection on the enterprise of Nelsonians, either i f city or district, that the advantages of hydro-electric energy have been so long withheld. The first hydroelectric Investigations were made by the Nelson City Council, then by the provisional Power Board, and later by the Power Board c r which Mr J, Corder was chairman during the very difficult years. 1929-1932, when various schemes, such as the Motueka River, Pearse River. Wairoa River and Boulder Lake were investigated. Mr Herbert Everett’s chairmanship followed during the constructive period of 1932-1936. when the Wairoa works were taken over, the i Brooklyn scheme put in. and the conditions under which the Hume Company offered to supply power carefully reviewed. Then came the late Mr F W. Greenslade’s chairmanship, finishing with a strenuous loan which was carried to a successful conclusion, and from which success the district has ! already secured many advantages. Men- | tion should be made, too, of the work of Councillor S. A. Gibbs, chairman of the Nelson City Council’s electric light and power committee, who gave much I time and thought to the arrangements J under which the city decided to receive | power from the Cobb, which was necessary before the previous Government i would consider a license to the com- j pany CHIEF ELECTRICAL ENGINEER'S j ADVICE The position was that in a comparatively small and very scattered district, j with various schemes either too large or j too small for measurab' requirements, j there was no option but to build up the ' load by small sectional stations until such time as a demand sufficient to warrant large capital outlay was ir. sight. That was the advice of Mr T M Kissel. Chief Electrical Engineer., who has taken a very important part in the supply . f hydro-electric power in the Dominion generally, and who doubtless would have welcomed the filling of this gap in the wonderful network throughout New Zealand But the very essence of hydro-electric development is that it must be cheap and abundant The Government refused to develop the Gowan scheme, because the rev enue in sight, or likely to be in sight, was totally inadequate. Confronted with these lir Ities. the district re-

ceived an offer from the Hume Pipe Company io supply hydro-electric power lrom works it desired to construct at the Cobb. After considerable negotiation, the previous Government decided to grant a license, with saleguards of the public interest—provided there was district unanimity in the mat- \ ter. To this end the then Minister of Public Works (the Hon. J. Bitchener) j visited Nelson on Ist February, 1935. i and conferred with the local supply ! authorities. He could not recommend i the Government to proceed to finality in this matter unless he had a definite assurance that the power authorities concerned were in full agreement that such action was necessary and dcsir- ; able, and unless he had an undertaking from them that they were prepared to lake this power when made available. The Government, realising the benefits the scheme would be to the whole district. was in earnest in the matter, he said, and was prepared to make a departure in its policy, in giving a well- j ! known company with a good record a I license to proceed. FURTHER CONFERENCE | At a further conference later in the j year (meanwhile a Power Board elecj tion hr ’ been held and a reversal of | policy seemed possible), Mr Kissel, ! speaking with full authority as Chief | Electrical Engineer, said: j “IVly advice is, take the Cobb scheme while you can get it. I j could not advise the Government to proceed with the expenditure rei quired for development of the Gowan on the guarantee given this morning. The Cobb development i gives to the district the opportunity of obtainii.g power at prices which are at least as good as the prices charge! by the Government to Power Boards in other parts, but it is better in that the local authority is not called on to give any guarani tee of <he amount of power it will take from the Company. ’ i After considerable delay local • unanimity was secured and on 18th July, 1935. an Order-in-Council was 1 gazetted giving the Hume Pipe Company (Australia) Ltd the right to deI velop (ho Cobb River and to transmit • power and supply the districts of Neli son and Takaka It was understood. however, that the construction and i operation of the works would be under- . taken bv a new company, whose sole

function would be to produce and sup- | I ply electricity. This necessitated ob- ! taining the consent of the incoming j Government to t! e delegation of the license and rights to the new company, 1 known as the Hume (Cobb River) Elcctrie Power Co., Ltd., a New Zealand company registered in Christchurch and i [controlled by New Zealand directors. ; Some considerable time naturally | elapsed before the new Ministers could j | give the question the attention needed, j j However, when the matter was dealt j J with the right to assign the license was ! ! granted, and speaking at the turning of ; the first sod of the Diesel station at j ! Stoke, the Hon. R. Semple said he con- j | sidcred the present move to be one of ' i the most forward in the district for many years. He referred to the fact j that, before he could allow the company' Ito proceed with the scheme, he had satisfied himself on every point in the j interests of the rights of the people i which he was convinced were protected jin this instance. The subsidiary company was composed, he knew, of honest men well known in business ' circles in the Dominion. When, then he had fully satisfied himself on these points, he had felt it his duty to speed j up development as much as lay in his i power