THE REPORT DISCUSSED

New Zealand Times, Volume XLIII, Issue 10138, 28 November 1918, Page 8

THE REPORT DISCUSSED

In presenting the report. Sir William Fraser (Minister for Public Works) said, the estimates were based on a rate not exceeding 12 per cent, icbove pre-war prices. On the return of the men from the front they would be able to put on 300 or 400 instead of SO, and so keep the charges down. When' the scheme came into operation there should be a board of management to operate it as a business undertaking. It would be necessary to prepare a bill to give effect to the scheme. The whole sum required should be voted, as it was useless to vote small amounts annually. He had placed -.£150,000 on • the (Estimates to carry out the preliminary work, which, in the case of Mangahao, would consist largely of reading. As soon as labour was available he would place large numbers of men on both works in order to carry them through." Mr C. H. Poole (Auckland): Why is Mr Parry leaving New Zealand? The Minister replied that Mr Parry had had a very good offer from the large syndicate at Home. Mr Barry had throughout proved himself & keen and capable officer, and they were very sorry "fo lose him. He could assure the House that Mr Parry was not leaving the department for monhy reasons. He had offered inducements to him to remain in New Zealand j but, for family reasons, ho wished to go Home. MANGAHAO SCHEME URGED, Mr J. P. Luke, M.P., congratulated the Minister upon having outlined hydro-electric proposals, not only for the southern, but also for the northern part of the North Island. For lighting and tramway purposes, Wellington city could at once utilise 10,000 horse-power,

and he urged tie Minister to put the Mangahao scheme for the supply of Wellington in hand as soon as possible. He hoped to have the Waikaremoana scheme also linked up before very long. tjir William Fraser: It is in the scheme, Mr Poole thought that the Auckland scheme should 'be proceeded with simultaneously with tho Wellington scheme. . Sir William Fraser: That is tho intention. " "■

Mr J. A. Young (Waikato) advocated that the Government should take over tho Hora Horn hydro-electric works on the Waikato river- belonging to the Waihi Goldmining Company. Some 8400 horsepower, the same amount as at Lake Coleridge, was already being developed there, and that horse-power could he more than doubled. He did not put it forward in antagonism to the Airapnnli scheme. He thought that both should be undertaken. In reply to Sir John Findlay (Hawke's Bay), the Prime Minister stated that the House would have an opportunity of discussing tho report after it was printed. ’'CLAIMS OP SOUTH ISLAND.

Mr C. E. Statham (Dunedin Central) said that ho d*id not grudge the North Island their schemes, but he urged* that the Minister should bring down the report on schemes for the South Island, particularly for the southern part of tho island, and considered as soon as ,posMr G. J. Anderson (Mataura) also voiced the claims of- the South Island. A local underbaking was being promoted pn Southland, .and ho-hnped that the' proposed legislation U> trim "the'wHfessaty ' powers to Vicifl bodies'would* shprtty be nassed. He had been’ informed ‘that Christchurch was being sunplied. with electric-power from helm Coleridge at less than cost. If that was so, it was not, fair to the rest, of the Dominion, Tt was unite evident, that the State cor,id' not develop) .all the ivntor-smwep in Vow Zealand for a long time to poop. Then ■viiv stand in the way of syndicates de reloning the power now running „te a ). - "Oh. oh 1” end "Vo *• ! " afr .T. Craio : o IT'-na.-nil held that the •level onto ent of wnter-norrer should he "Tell* dvelv a State ando-PplrprS. Then eho*)tpl go for a rornnvebeeslTe ceV,rt-r*e )n hott* iole-ndq nnjT 'ndV. bo afraid' t--ev-v tUeeo qebemOS* ei'P. TTe evriressrd -orrret that the benefits 'of the //alee Coleridge scheme had not yet been er-

tended to Timnrn and South Canterbury generally. it correct that th« r limits of the Lake Coleridge scheme had now been reached? WELLINGTON ON VELVET.

Mr J. Vigor Brown (Napier) could not congratulate the Government on the amount of money put down for hydroelectric works. The time had arrived for a bold, comprehensive scheme, and tJiey should not be afraid to borrow the sum necessary to adequately develop the great water-power of the Dominion. The 'sum of ,2150,000 was a mere bagatelle to put: down for hydro-eleotrio development The Government should rise to the occasion and borrow at least ,25.000,000 tn develop all the schemes at the same time. He was glad to understand that the Waikaremoana scheme was to ha developed in connection with the other two North Island schemes. Was it to come after or at the same time es the others?

Sir W. Eraser• It is not to come first, Mr Vigor Brown: Oh, nobody over expects anything on the Ehst Coast to come first. He quite understood the pleasure that the Mayor of Wellington had in. supporting the Minister's proposals; because, if what he had been told was correct, the Major of Wellington was on velvet, inasnnjoh as the Wellington power iand lighting plant was to be taken over by the Government as a stand-by in case of a breakdown of any of the North Island schemes. He honed that the Government would reconsider the position, and get all the schemes going at once. VIEWS OF SEE JOSEPH WARD. Sir Joseph'Ward said that hon. members should not prejudge the Government in these matters. They should wait till their proposals in connection with local public bodies were tabled. To borrow to go on with. &U tho works at once would moan some -617,000,000, and that was impracticable. The amount now proposed was to carry out the nocesSiry preliminaries for the three North Island schemes, and oven if -610,000,000 had been nut down, the Minister comd not at ‘present spend more than the .£150.000, which was the subject of so much adverse comment. Xo complete th*e railway schemes before the country would require 30 to 40 millions; and, if the people decided to carry a certain proposal which was to be placed before them, that would cost -64,500,000. Further. 19 or 20 millions more . would be panted for war expenditure—l 3 millions of unexhausted authorities and at least 6, millions under the proposed new au7 thority. There was in sight easily • required expenditure of 20 millions for railways; and who knew what the. repatriation of our soldiers was going to cost: It might cost 10 to 15 millions sterling easily, and the whole of the money would have to be raised in this country. They also wanted money for advances to workers and to settlers. Mr it. A. Wright (Wellington Suburbs!: What about the big accumulated surplus? , ~ Sir Joseph Ward said that it would be disastrous to take the *cc nmu 1 a tea surplus for any such purpose. Thai money was needed to enable them to set the wheels of industry turning for the benefit of the workers of New Zealand and the community as a whole, by reducing taxation. And for that purpose they must have as much money as possible -to reduce the wax debt or establish a sinking fund to wipe the war debt out in the course of a few yeans. He wae as strongly in favour of the national development of Ottr water-power as anybody could be, but he Was not 4 prepared to stand in the way of woo* public bodies undertaking the dCWtato ment of schemes that the State oouM not now undertake. . Mr Vigor Browns Tow would have to borrow the money just as the State Sir Joseph Ward s, Yes. but not, X think, in this country. Hon. members would have an opportunity of discussing the whole question again this session on a bill. Mr W. H. Field urged the Government to proceed with,the Work ail fast-, as'the .labour and the finance aVoKahie 1 would allow. . , ’• . ~ Mr Massey denied mat any of. his colleagues were opposed tb the scheme, and said that the work would bo proc ceded with as soon as ever labour and finance were available. Them would be no delay, no hanging tack. Mr H. G. Ell (Christchurch South) strongly opposed the relegation to local bodies of the important duty of developing hydro-electric powers. _ Messrs J. McCombs ttirttoltotiV, E. Newman (Bangitikeih f. Bayne (Grey • Lynn!, and Dr. Newman /Wellington East!, iilep took- part in the discussion, A COMMERCIAL TRANSACTION.

Replying on the debate. Sir WSliMn Fraser denied that the Government na soiling power at lees than coet. The Lake Coleridge eoheme was, he claimed, more than paying jits way. Mr Anderson said that he had stated that the Government was selling powel to the city of Christchurch at lees than cost. _ _,' Sir William Fraser: This is a oom< meroial transaction, and yon must tak< the transactions as a whole. It wa(’ impossible for such an tiadcrfcftJriii( to pay its wav In the first year or two but it was now doing so. The limit ol the Lake Coleridge scheme, he emphati. oallv stated, had not been reached. They should be able eventually to develop some 15,000 horse-power altogether. . The report was laid on the table and ordered to be printed.