THE WAIPORI SCHEME.

Otago Daily Times, Issue 15857, 1 September 1913, Page 4

THE WAIPORI SCHEME.

The decision of the Electric Power and Lighting Committee of the City Council to recommend the employment of the services of independent engineers to report separately upon the hydraulic and construction portion and upon the electrical portion of the Waipori Falls power scheme will, as a general proposition, be received with favour by the citizens. It would •have been preferable,' we think, if the engineers whom it is proposed to consult had, in each case, had no previous acquaintance with the system that has been adopted at Waipori se i&at they might be able to bring entirely open minds to the consideration of the questions concerning -which .their advice is to be sought. Mr E. Parry, the Government electrical engineer, whose services as consultant respecting the electrical installation are being sought by the Corporation, is, however, not unacquainted with the Waipori works. Being naturally ' interested in an undertaking of the kind he has already visited the power station in company with the city electrical engineer, and it does not involve any serious stretching of the imagination to suppose that he discussed then with that official some of the points upon which he is now to be asked to advise the Corporation. The value of his report will, in reality, not be necessarily affected by the fact that he is no absolute stranger to Waipori. If, however, it had been possible to secure in New Zealand the 'services of another electrical engineer with qualifications as high as those possessed by Mr Parry and ' with, at the same time, other claims upon the public confidence such as Mr Parry enjoys—an engineer, that is to say, who has no professional interest that might 'influence him, or be suspected of influencing him, however nnconsciausly, one way or the other in his report—the community would probably have desired : tbat the advice which is wanted should be furnished by one who has not previously seen the works. The aTea of selection of an electrical engineer as consultant is, however, exceedingly limited, and it is likely enough that no other expert can be named whose judgment would carry' as much weight as will be ascribed to that of Mr Parry. Apparently, in proposing that the services of Mr William Ferguson, of Wellington, should be secured to report upon the civil engineering in connection with the Wai- ' pori scheme, the Electric Power and Lighting Committee has overlooked the fact that Mr Ferguson has just »iccepted appointment as a member of a Boytl Commission which,' is to inquire ij#p the administration of the • Westport r/arbonr Board and to report thereon to the Governor within thirty days. We fear that his duties as a member of this Commission will prevent Mr Ferguson from accepting any invitation to report upon the Waipori works. For it will be generally felt that the report which the Corporation pro-' poses to obtain should be prepared with as little delay as possible.