THE HORAHORA POWER.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LVI, Issue 17270, 20 September 1919, Page 8

THE HORAHORA POWER.

The attitude of the Public Works Department to the Horahora power scheme is wholly unsatisfactory if it is fairly represented in the letter addressed by the Under-Secretary to the Mayor of Mount Eden. This states that the present installation at Horahora is incapable of supplying power to the suburbs of Auckland, but the letter proceeds to make the remarkable assumption that no relief can come to Auckland except from Arapuni. What then becomes of the developments which have always been regarded by the public as an integral part of the Horahora enterprise % At the recent conference at Hamilton Mr. L. Birks, Chief Electrical Engineer, stated that 6500-horse power was now available at Horahora, and after allowing for the amount consumed by the Waihi Company and for losses in transmission there was a surplus of 2700-horse power for outside consumption. This, it may be remarked in passing, is considerably less than was anticipated, but even if the Department's figures are accepted they do not lead ty the conclusion that. Horahora is useless as a source of power for Auckland. It is common knowledge that by the installation of additional generating units, for which space has been left in the power house, the Horahora output can be increased by a further 5000horse power. This is a development which can be quickly and eco-

nomically effected, and the possibilities of enlarging the capacity of Horahora do not end there. x Mr. Parry has indicated that, by utilising the Pokaiwhenua River it is possible to produce 16,000-horse power. In that event he estimated that there would be 'ZOOO-horse power available for Auckland. He (fid not recommend this ostensibly because the surplus for Auckland would be small. But as the present consumption of the city is between 13,000 and 14,000-horse power, the reinforcement would be one of quite 50 per cent., and it would be a valuable contribution during the period in which the city is waiting for the completion of the Arapuni scheme. The local bodies in and around Auckland recognise that the Waikato has the first right to Horahora power, but they have a claim on the Public Works Department to utilise this source of energy to its full capacity. They expect a considered statement of the Department's intentions and will resent the off-hand suggestion that they can anticipate no State power until Arapuni is harnessed.