HYDRO-ELECTRICITY

New Zealand Times, Volume XLVI, Issue 10640, 13 July 1920, Page 7

HYDRO-ELECTRICITY

OTAGO’S CLAIMS URGED DEPUTATION TO PUBLIC WORKS MINISTER. An Otago deputation, introduced by Mr T. K. Sidey, M.P., waited upon the Hon. G. J. Coates (Minister for Public Works) yesterday to lay before him the urgent needs of the district in regard to hydro-eleotrio power. Mr C. Todd (president of the Otago Expansion League) said that the deputation came to a young, progressive Minister with a great deal of confidence that they would see something moving. The chief electrical engineer . (Mr Lawrence Birks) was also a live man; but, judging by the slowness of recent developments, there seemed to be a loss of energy somewhere. Otago did not wish to contribute to North Island development needs without getting its share in electrical development; and the deputation wished to put to him a direct question: '“When are we going to get the plans?” They would leave the question of the power sit© to the Public Works Department to settle, hough they recommended WanakaHawea because of the large area of splendid land' which was bound to be irrigated some day and would carry as many cows as Taranaki. He also felt sure that' with cheap power it would pay to dredge over again, the old areas of gold-p-oducinp country. There was also the high price of,petrol to consider. It was going up . all the time, while coal had to be , imported. The deputation' did not wish to say anything against the North Island schemes, for they were all needed, but they held that Otago should participate in the development. He hoped that Hie Minister would take his courage in both hands and inaugurate a bold policy. It had been said that the Government would be unable to get enough money. ~. The Minister: I don’t think that has been suggested. The expenditure would bo gradual. Mr Todd: It may cost fifteen millions spread over five years.Mr Coates: Yon could not spend it in five years. It takes fifteen to twenty years to complete back country reticulation. Mr J. London urged that if the Government raised money for hydroeleotrio development, it should provide for the. whole Dominion. H© believed that if the Otago people were assured that they were going to get their fair share of development they would subscribe liberally to the loan. What h© wished to stress was that Otago should not he left behind. The Waipori scheme had been an immense success. Its total capitalisation was £480,000, and last year it returned a net profit of £15,000, after providing for renewals and depreciation. THE MINISTER’S REPLY. '

The Minister said that it was difficult to get engineers. ; The Government could get them if it paid them the salaries they got elsewhere, hut business men were tahing away engineers from the. Public Works department ©very day. .. . * A member of the Then you will have to pay the salary. The Minister said that when it came to paying a thousand a year to develop the country it was "worth while, “but it upset the Civil Service apple-cart./' In a temporary position a man expected to get more than, a State servant, who was permanent; but be could not say what the Electric Power Boards could pay. Ho assured the deputar tion, however, that. the Government put hydro-electric development in the forefront. !Ab to the suggestion that all the schemes should go. forward simultaneously, he said. that he could carry out practically all the major operations simultaneously if he could be sure that he had the engineers, the machinery, and the men. Otherwise, h© preferred to wait one or two years rather than start with a few men knowing perfectly well that he could not go on with the job. Surveys were in progress for the scheme, and would be completed in a month, while those for the Teviot scheme would be completed in two months. When this information, was available, tie Government would definitely indicate its policy with regard to hydro-electric development in Otago.