ELECTRIC POWER

Otago Daily Times, Issue 17943, 24 May 1920, Page 5

ELECTRIC POWER

DEVELOPMENT IN ENGLAND. AN EXPERT INTERVIEWED. (Fkom Oub Own Cohbespohdent.) AUCKLAND, May 22. Tho development of electricity in Britain during and subsequent to the war was the subject of an interview yesterday with Sir Arnold Gridlcy (now visiting Auckland), who up to the time he left England was chief electrical officer to the Imperial Government. Sir Arnold Gridley said that before tho .war had been in progress" for many_ weeks it became evident that it would involve a strugglo in the application of engineering soietce to every branch of warfare. As hostilities continued tho call upon tho braina and inventive genius oi engineers became even mors insirtent. Extensions to existing engineering factories and workshops and -he construeUon of r.ew factories,, many of them national, wero rapidly planned end completed, nnd th<> directing _ heads of nwny firms wore called in to advise the Government departments, in particular the Ministry of Munitions. The equipping of the different factories was done at an amazing speed, which was facilitated by tile fact that "so many of the public service- undertakings were able to dual with the additional load by running two or tliree electricity generating plants, including reserves, until s-uch time as the stations oould be ex- , tended. In numerous cases valuable time was saved, and munitions of war were made available for both tho army and the navy three months earlier than otherwise would have bceii' possible. Electrical equipment for factories was installed much more rapidly than power-producing plants could be manufactured, and although the electric . supply firms took risks in running all their generating plant it was felt by the Government that this was a legitimate war risk, even if the supply of current for domestic purposes was thereby jeopardised. Some 140 power-houses were built or extended, and the plant capacity of each power-houe was doubled, as also was the output. That mpant that in the four years required to complete these developments the progress made exceeded that of the preceding 32 years. Speaking of the future, Sir Arnold said Jihe Electricity Bill passed by the House of Commons at the end of last yeax provided for the appointment of five eleotrioity oommi&sioiLers, the function of whom should be to direct and guide the future, development of power supply on national instead of parochial lines. The genera* object of the now scheme was to do away with all small and uneconomical stations," to maintain, and, if necessary, to extend the larger stations at present in existence-, and in future- to establish power-houses at least twice the size of any -existing to-day in Great Britain. So far as the generation of power is concerned it is now possible for a large number of municipalities to group themselves in order to promote tho big scheme or for companies and municipalities to combine for a similar purpose As tho scheme definitely develops the intention is that new power-house transmission linos will bo provided, that tho railways will bo electrified anywhere in the country by the simplo process of tapping tho transmission cables, and that the cities and tho rural districts will be able to obtain a good supply of cheap power. Sir Arnold purpose's visiting all the power stations in New Zealand, and wherever possible* to inspect proposed sites for the main power stations to be erected under the Government's hydro-electrio scheme.