UTILISING WATER POWER

Otago Witness, Issue 2690, 4 October 1905, Page 14

UTILISING WATER POWER

NAPIER, September 22. A lare>e and representative public meeting ' was held in the Counoil Chambers this e-ven-ing».to consider the question of utilisation. 1 of the water power of Lake TVaikaremoana. It wa.s pointed out by speakers that a sum 1 of £50,000 had been placed on the EstiI mat&3 for developing power for electrical j purposes, and that the vast amount of water i power available at Lake Waikaremca^a should receive the consideration of tho Government. Of the estimated force of 500,i^vj horse-power available from^ths various sources of water power in the North Island Lake Waikaremoana was capable of supplying 140,000 horse-power, a quantity more than sufficient for the whole of the present needs of the North Island. Mr George Nelson urged that every effort should be made to get the Government to develop this source of power, which could supply. Napier, Gisborne, Hastings, and Wellingto« and intermediate places, and whioli would cause an immense impetus in the indupferiai development of those districts. He foresaw the time when the whole country would lie reticulated by lines carrying electric power, and they should certainly not neglect such a splendid natural souroe of power. A petition was prepared for signature a-sking the Government to set aside the sum for the purpose stated, and the following telegram wa.s forwarded to Me A. L. IX Fraser, M.H.R. : — "An unusually large andi representative meeting- to-night unanimously decided to circulate a petition throughout Hawko'is Bay and Poverty Bay urging upon the Government to include in the Supplementary Estimates this session a sufficient' sum to commence the initial works necessary to utilise the water power of Lake Waikaremoana. Please inform Ministers." Mr George Nelson was appointed a delegat© to Gisborne to enlist the co-operation ofi the residents of the district in presenting the petition.