"FILCHING OUR RESOURCES"

Otago Daily Times, Issue 27521, 16 October 1950, Page 6

"FILCHING OUR RESOURCES"

Sir,—ln your leader of October 9 you discuss the reasons why the population of the North Island continues to Increase more rapidly than that of the South Island. Parochial opposition to supplying power to the North via the Cook Strait cable is mpre worthy of the days of Captain Cargill and Thomas Burns, as described by Dr McLintock, than of the Otago Daily Times of 1950, unless you (in a playful mood) are creating an example of journalism to take its place in the Early Settlers’ Hall in the year 2050. To estimate fairly the reason why Dunedin is falling behind in the race it is not necessary to cross the strait and work up a North v. South animosity, but a comparison with Christchurch would help. As a large user of electric power, and one who is prepared to use more if it were available at an economic price, I would .naturally like to see Dunedin go ahead, but cannot tolerate the misstatehaents of people like Cr Hayward, who assure us that Dunedin has the cheapest power, which it has not. Dunedin has spent approximately (capital expenditure) dh generating and transmitting to Halfway Bush. This will shortly be raised to £2,000,000. Christchurch has not spent one penny on the generating side, but buys the current in bulk, selling it at a cheaper average rate than Dunedin, and earning a higher rate of' interest on the money invested in reticulation and retailing. Mr Goosman is much too wide awake to let the parochialism of Dunedin stand in the way of progress, and if the North Island business is there to be done either the live men of .Dunedin must move north and progress, or else others will do the business.—l am, etc., Manufacturer.