THE COBB DAM

Nelson Evening Mail, Volume 80, 26 June 1945, Page 4

THE COBB DAM

WHEN addressing the Nelson-Marl-borough-West Coast League of Local Bodies in April. 1944, the Chief Electrical Engineer, Public Works Department, (Mr Kissel) gave an undertaking that the dam at the Cobb would be built just in time to meet the power demand, but not so early that capital expenditure would be lying idle. Since then the Cobb has been turned on, the supply districts in Nelson and Marlborough are enjoying a plenitude of electricity not experienced hitherto, and the demand figures show they are relishing it even at a time when appliances are in restricted supply. Since then also Mr Kissel’s Department has been faced with the big task of planning to meet the actual and acute shortage of electricity right throughout the North Island and, in the scale of priorities, the Cobb supply districts need to watch out lest expansion of their generating potential is postponed until an electric power surplus becomes a dearth because of inability to fill the gap between demand and supply. This is the point emphasised by the illuminating maximum demand table and explanation given by Mr H. E. Stephens at last week’s meeting of the Waimea Electric Power Board and supplemented by a letter yesterday. The Departmental engineers have been well aware that the demand for electricity would grow rapidly w.hen the Cobb was brought in antf they have their own difficulties to meet in the way of labour and materials. What has to guarded against is a set-back to electrical development by a reversion to the position where sufficient current is not available. Nelson and Marlborough have already suffered their fair share of that disability and are nowhere near the intensive stage of electrifiction reached by many similar districts in the North Island which are now crying aloud for more power. The dam at the Cobb is the next scheduled step for expansion of local generating capacity and the districts are entitled to ask that no time be lost in building it. To show they are eager to have electricity the central area regions of the Waimea Power Board’s territory do not want to be backward in coming forward with their guarantees. It would be a great pity if Upper Moutere, for example, were left in the comparative darkness of kerosene and candle in an age of electricity through being omitted from thfe reticulation scheme. If the residents think it over they will realise they cannot afford that.