OTAGO EXPANSION LEAGUE

Otago Witness, Issue 3334, 6 February 1918, Page 20

OTAGO EXPANSION LEAGUE

DEPUTATION FROM SOUTHLAND. DEVELOPMENT OF THE TWO PROVINCES. HYDROELECTRIC ENERGY AS A FACTOR. In the board room, New Zealand Express Company's building, on the 29th, a conference was held between members of the Otago Expansion League, Dunedin Chamber of Commerce, Manufacturers' Association, and other bodies, and the Southland League for consideration of the subject of hydroelectric energy. There was an attendance of about 60 gentlemen, and Mr A. Bathgate (president of the Otago League) presided. The members of the Southland deputation were Messrs A. W. Rodger (president of the Southland League), J. iStead (Mayor of Invercargill), ~W. Macalister, J. Fisher, J. Crosbie Smith, and C. Campbell (secretary). The Chairman welcomed the deputation from Southland. Mr Stead said the deputation had come to Dunedin with the full approval of tho civic authorities of Invercargill. The Southland League felt that hydro-electric power would make New Zealand the industrial island of tho Pacific. It was recognised that Dunedin still held supremacy as the industrial centre of New Zealand, and it behoved Otago and Southland not to leave any stono unturned to retain that position. Speakiner of Government expenditure on hydro-eleetric works in the North Island, he'said he was afraid it would be a very large share that that part of the dominion would claim. The _ Southland League felt that it was a question, if .the war happened to bo over to-morrow, whether the Government would be justified in helping any one portion of the country before another. No doubt, money would be very scarce after the war. ' It had come to this, that the people of the south realised they must help themselves, and to that end they desired to get ' the necessary power to enable them to proceed with their proposals when tho proper time came, that power to be contained in a Bill that would be applicable to any part of the dominion. The Bill had met with tho approval of Sir Joseph Ward, and when it went before tho Crown Office it was found it did not require alteration in any respect.—(Applause.) If Otago and Southland joined hands and could, with their joint efforts and wisdom, secure the advantage of the tremendous latent power at their doors, their enterprise and push would, bo believed, be sufficient to enable the two provinces to hold up this end of the dominion. —(Applause ) Tho Chairman read several apologies for absence, including one from Mr P. 11. Sargood, as follow::—-" Regret unable to attend meeting. Enough water power in Otago to lift both provinces on top of all rest of dominion." Mr Rodger, on behalf of the Southland League, tendered to tho Otago Expansion League sincere thanks for the courteous maimer in which it had received tho overtures from Southland and tho sentiment that had prompted it to receive his colleagues and himself at that meeting—a meeting that might well prove to bo an epoch in the history of Otago and Southlaud. Ho also expressed tho appreciation of the deputation of the interest that had been evinced by the Chamber of Commerce in tho matter that it would be their privilege to lay before the meeting that evening, and their unqualified pleasure in meeting tho representatives of that body. Their desire w;is to solicit fciie co-operation of Otago, and should they succeed, as they wero confident they would, in this most vital matter, united action would undoubtedly follow in other directions to the mutual advantago of both districts. Tho interests of Otago and Southland wero alike. The people wero engaged in precisely tho samp vocation, and while there might be natural , advantages in certain directions in one province as compared with the other, generally speaking what was necessary for tho ono must necessarily be needful or desirable for

the other, and any petty jealousies that might exist in regard to these natural advantages should] certainly be overshadowed by the immense benefits that would accruefrom united action in big things. There were two ports—one in Otago and one in Southland. They had been provided by nature, and just as she had provided the ports so nature had provided the country to feed them. He ventured to say that when the country having Duncdin for its outlet and the country having Bluff for its outlet, were producing all that they- wero capable of producing—and if they were capable they surely.must and would be made to produce—either of tho ports would have a record second to none in the dominion. In the Dominions Royal Commission's report it was stated: —"The dominion of New Zealand is one of the finest agricultural countries in the world." . .... . "Since the dominion only has population of a little over a million, of which not more than half dwell upon the land, its agricultural output must be considered remarkable. Indeed we are tempted to speculate what it would be if that population were even 5,000.000, a number which without doubt it could support with ease." Otago and Southland wore each capable of supporting their full quota of the extra 4,000,000 people, and a united effort should be made to secure their share of the emigration to the dominion. The speaker went on to refer to .the trend of migration -to tho northern provinces, and also the trend to cities and towns. He said there could bo , no gainsaying the fact that this was absolutely inimical to the best interests of the country, and particularly to Otago aad Southland, where the development of the agricultural and pastoral provinces was tho only means of progress not only in the country districts, but in 'the cities and towns as well. The reasons for the tendency tosettle in the centres wero perhaps not very far to seek, especially in so far as they affected the 1 younger generations. From a social point of view town life was more attractive. The worker was not inclined to go into tho back country, with bad roads,perhaps poor accommodation, and little or no chance of meeting his friends, while the would-be farmer was prevented from taking up land and the existing owner from developing what he hold because of the j shortage of labour. In addition there was the outstanding fact that tho farmer's lot ; tinder existing circumstances was not an enviable one. The work was hard over long hours, alike, in probably tho majority of cases, to the parents ancf the children; and that work, owing to circumstances over which they had no control, was not always remunerative. Dairy farming was particu- | larly exacting and confining, and was usu- ' ally only successfully followed by farmers who were able to carry on with the assist- , anco of their families, the result being that many of the children became so tired of tho drudgery that when they came to man's estate they sought other and more congenial employment. In a word, 'they , had to make it possible for farm < work to be carried on under more congenial condi- j tions, and with less need for the employ- | ment of labour if the .tide townwards was to be stayed and the development of the j country's resources carried into effect. j Just as it was incumbent upon them to so improve the conditions as to ensure the greater development of the country, so was it their duty 'to foster existing industries, | giving them facilities of the most modern ' character, so that they and the new industries that would undoubtedly be inaugurated as a result, of the general development might be on the best possible footing in the markets of the world. Having gouo most carefully into all these matters, th.i Southland League had come to 'the conclusion that the first thing to be done —the | thing that would most assuredly bring about these essential changes—was the provision of cheap _ electric power right throughout both provinces. The Southland League had noted with pleasuro the activity of the j Manufacturers' Association in Duncdin, and j at its instigation the appointment of committees by the several bodies in Duncdin, i including tho Expansion League, to meet in conference. That the Dunedin people had been thinking on the same lines as those in Inveroargill was most encouraging, and was a further reason for an appeal for co-operation. _ Tho importance of cheap j power was being recognised by almost every country. The speaker wept on to giyo in- ,

«k"n«ps of what had been done elsewhere in the way of developing- power. beiore dealing witb what had been done, and what might be done in New Zealand, ho wished to refer shortly to the uses to which electric-power was being put. He need not refer to the very great benefit that electric light and power meant in the household, although this had a most important bearing upon the social aspect of the two provinces. It also had an important bearing on the Labour question, both from the industrial and the social point of view; in fact, one of the Government electrical engineers went so far as to say that it was a necessity to the worker. This might be demonstrated by the fact ' that out of 2160 domestic consumers in ■Christchurch, over 1100'paid less than 4s per month for their lighting. Industrially the use of electric power must have tho effect of raising the mental standard of tho workers. Tho uses which might not be within general knowledge to which electric energy might be devoted were many. In England, for instance, Mr W. T. Kerr, tho city engineer of Hereford, had obtained wonderful results on an experimental plot of. half an acre, using electricity on dull days and at night time. The plant installed on Mr Kerr's patch might be" applied to a farm. Many potatoes in his ground wero as large as swedes, one being a foot long and eight inches across, while the stems were eight feet high. It. was the same with wheat, barley, oats, clover, fruit trees, and flowers. They rose to meet the electricity elixir, while the long, green caterpillars that worked havoc on the fruit trees dropped electrocuted. In the conservatory, cauliflower, cabbage, and leek seeds sown in boxes had rich green blades on© inch above the mould in five days, and Mr Kerr said that what had been done on l-iis h!' l f--'crr> nlot could be done on every farm from Cornwall to Inverness. Dr J. M. Beattic, city bacteriologist at Liverpool, a former student of Otago University, had been carrying out important experiments concerning tho electrical sterilisation of mrik. "Tnc method is such* a simple one," ho .-.>id. "that there i* 'no reasnr why. it should not be applied commercially on a large scale." The importance of this use for electric power could hardly be exaggerated. It would mean the entire absence, in future, of deleterious milk for human consumption, and prevent the loss occasioned by tho intake of bad milk at the cheese factories. In New Zealand the electrical engineers had successfully combated • the frost trouble in the' orchards by means of electric power, and had also most successfully substituted electric energy for heat, in the tomato houses. In Canada the hydroelectric Power Commission of Ontario reported that the enterprise shown by farmers and residents in small villages had aided greatly to promote the use of electric light and power in the rural districts of Ontario, and from such reports it would seem that 'farmers made general use of the power' for grinding oats, thrashing, seed cleaning, root-pulpij'ig, chaff-cutting, milking, and domestic purnosps such as washing machines, electric irons, toasters, etc. Tho extraction of nitrates from the air was. a matter of the most vital importance, and it had proved such to Germany inasmuch as, owing to the fact that she had been able to get. her supplies in this way for munition purposes, it had made her absolutely independent during the war. It was interesting to note that, while Germany produced % 20.000 tons oL.nitrogen in 1913, her output in 1910 was 340,000 tons. He had also noted with interest that a syndicate had been formed in Dune-din for this purpose, and while their desire to have" their works erected on the West Coast had not been realised, he sincerely hoped that they would be able to carry out their ideas to tho fullest extent within the boundaries, of the province of Otago within the next few years. Having regard to the expert ences" of those countries and districts al* ready enjoying the benefit of hydro-electric-power, and the .success and rapid development wherever it was available, he desired to congratulate tho City Council and the', people of Duncdin upon the enterprise had- shown in the development of the Wai? pori scheme, and the marked success which had attended it. Tho Southland League was fully oonvinced that hydro-electric power had become an absolute necessity to tho province. So. fully "did the people of

Southland recognise its importance that it bad been repeatedly represented to the league that if it did nothing more than prove the means of having a measure placed upon the Statuto Book, making it possible to have Southland electrified, it would have justified its existence. He fully endorsed that sentiment, and while the league had not the slightest intention of making this scheme ite only goal, it was going to leavo no atone unturned to have the suggested Bill enacted. The electrification of the province would in itself open up fresh avenues for the activities of the league, and he •tvould suggest that that would apply equally to the Otago Expansion League were the province as a whole served eleotrically. < lt might be said that the time was not ripe or inopportune for such a work to be undertaken because of the war, but he contended that it was essentially war work. It should 'not be carried out in spite of the war but because of the war, in order to increase the productiveness of the to encourage the molting the social conditions of the people more congenial, and to make the country as a whole more attractive &. those already here, those who might oom« .after the war ■WO3 ' over, and particularly to make it a brighter, a better, and a more attractive home to the soldiers who had done so much at the front for the Empire. Further, the general application of cheap power would provide means of employment for the returning soldiers —employment of such varied character that every man, even he who was maimed, would find work of a congenial nature. While it was not intended to borrow money for electrification during the war, they wanted) to be in the position to say to these men when they returned, not that it was intended to have a scheme of electrification carried out, but that everything was ready, surveys made, plans drawn, and specifications completed to go ahead with the work. He wished to emphasise one crucial point. Greater facilities must be provided for the farmer, so that he might work more efficiently, with- les3 labour, ! and under more felicitous conditions and these facilities must be provided before they talked of closer settlement. It was no use telling would-be settlers that these conveniences were coming. They must be in a position to tell them they were there at their disposal it they were to succeed in getting the people to go back to the land. • He had made reference to many uses to - ,which electrio power could be put, but there were three which he had not mentioned, and which had par'ticuhir application to the Otago province. He referred to dredging, irrigation, and sluiomg. Mr W. D. Hunt had already brought under notice the immense possibilities m connection with irrigation, and pointed out the fact that, as the pumping could all be done during the night, the power cost would bo low. The same remark applied to sluicing, end there was, he was informed, muoh fold-bearing country in Otago that could e worked by sluicing were the water made available. As the dredges worked both night and day, their average -power cost would be low as compared with fuel. Inquiries must* show that a dredge at present spending £IOOO per annum on fuel could save £4OO per annum and still pay a moderately high price for power. The coal question was one that must be borne in mind when considering industrial development. The whole position, as he had indicated it, had been before the Southland League for some considerable time. Mr L. GBirks fthe engineer who had charge of the Lake Coleridge scheme) all the more accessible of water-power in Southland, and made a general survey of the province, in view of the prospective power demand. They had not yet been advised of Mr Birks's' findings, nor of the report that had been laid before the Minister by Mr Parry as a result of Mr Birks's; investigations, but the league was convinced of the feasibility of a comprehensive scheme being installed. In addition to this, the statistics collected and prepared throughout the province in anticipation of Mr Birks's visit as to the probable demand for power that' would be available, together with the enthusiasm of the Southland public as a, whole, had prompted the league in going fully into ways and means of carrying out a scheme of electrification immediately the war was over, having in the meantime all preliminary work executed.

Mr Rodger, continuing, said: The Government might be regarded as committed to an expenditure of at least £3,000,000 before the south was considered. "The chances of the south of electrification by the Government were, he was afraid, very, very, remote. That the •North Island had a prior claim upon the Government, in view of what had been done at Lake Coleridge, could; not be denied, and that the Government would be perfectly justified, from a financial point of View, and from the population standpoint also, in satisfying that claim, might also be admitted. But even so, there was the outstanding fact that the North Island, by the action of the Government, was going to be placed in a most favourable position so far as development and prosperity were concerned, and that jto the detriment of Otago snd Southland. For it could not be gainSaid that the oounty or the district or the town having cheap power available would be in an infinitely better position, /jo far as production and competitive ability were Oonoerned, than jfche County or the district or the town without that cheap power. Snen there was tne further menace of a still greater migration of population and •industries to tho north. It was not reasonable to expect that the farmers and others would remain where they had lc4s. comfort, harder work, and Jlesa return for their labour. Again, ijianufacturers were not going to keep plodding avtey with out-of-date maohinery and at Tieavy working costs when, by moving north, thoy could carry 6n their'business jnore efficiently and profitably. This might not apply so much to Otago, but it Was a most vital point in Southland, where already one of the eldest established (manufacturer's was on the eve of moving to Chrktoirarch. where he would be able to manufacturd his gooda and rail them to Southlana a| lessjjost than he was at present incUTrin|j. From a political point of view it was a most serious situation, inasmuch, as unless they not only kept their population, but attracted more people to theso provinces, tho already predominating power in Parliament of the North Island would bo so greatly aggravated that tho voioo of the south would, in comparison, be very small and still indeed. The North Island pooplo were in' earnest. They meant to progress and nothing brought those facts more into evidence than the recent iction of tho Auckland Railway League, when, on hearing tho Minister's statement -'Kir, the work on a certain railway was (Hnponded because of shortage of labour and engineers,

tho league found 90 men and an engineer, and the work is proceeding. To use "a colloquialism, Otago and Southland were "right up against it." Ihe chances of Government assistance seemed to be nil, and they were thrown upon their own resources. The suggested legislation whioh the leaguo hod drawn up in the form of a BUI to be presented to Parliament, made provision for any province or district to carry out its own scheme oi electrification under Government control and subject to tho Government having the right to acquire the undertaking on giving 12 month s notice. The suggested Bill had been placed in the hands of Sir Joseph Ward as senior Southland member of Parliament, and in reply to a deputation representing the league and the publio bodies of Southland, Sir Joseph had made most laudatory referonce to the suggested measure and promised to bring it before pabinct for approval. In asking the support of the Otago Expansion League, and through that body, the people of Otago, the Southland League dosired to strengthen the hands of Sir Joseph Ward in his endeavour to carry the Bill through. Without exception the publio bodies of Southland whole-heartedly supported the measure and had individually expressed their approval of it to Sir Joseph. Inquiries had been made and expressions of approval received from other districts throughout the dominion —from the West Coast, from Akaroa, and even from the North Island. Ho wished also to point out what would no doubt be perfectly plain to everyone, ■ that in supporting the league in its endeavourv to olace this measure upon the Statute Book there was no commitment. Tho Otago Expansion League was not committed to anything, neither were the people of Otago. They would simply help to have made law a purely machinery measure that might or might not be made use of even by Southland. He repeated that there was no intention of borrowing large sums of money while the war was in progress. They wanted this legislation enacted so that districts might formed, surveys and plans made, and specification? drawn up, and immediately peace was declared, loans could be raised and the work of construction commenced. The position in which they found themselves in relation to the North Island should not be regarded as a calamity. _ It might prove to be a blessing in disguise. It should act as a stimulant. There were signs—the meeting that evening was one of them—that it was already doing so. They shouldemulate the. North Island people, and he was persuaded they would outstrip them inasmuch as, while the people in the North Island relied upon the Government, the people in the South would rely upon themselves as Dunedin had' already done in the Waipori scheme. Let them help themselves so that they would be enabled l to say in regard to other portions of the dominion, as in the old Scottish song, "Otago and Southland, despite them, shall flourish for ever. Mr Macalister explained tho provisions of the draft bill and how it wafl proposed to apply it to Southland when it became law. He also made suggestions as to ihe direction in whioh it might bo made use of by Otago. Under the bill a special local body would be created to undertake the construction of the necessary works and the development of power. Districts and boarda are also provided for, and their functions are set out. The districts woulq bo large. Tho Southland electric-power district, for instance, would include two counties, a number of boroughs, some town boarda, and so on, known as constituent districts, each of which would be represented on the board of the whole district. This board would have power to raise money for works and for lines for the distribution of power* There are 200 clauses in the bill. Mr J. Fisher (Otautau) said the scheme bad been loyally supported by the people of Southland. It was becoming more evident every year that the North Island had a grasp of things, and was pushing its barrow with great avidity. The south part of tho dominion was tho finest part of it, also the most undeveloped part. Anyone going through this end ,of the island was in> .pressed with the great possibility there was of doing more thin had alroady been done. The 100,000 men now at the front, when they returned, would be strong enough to plaoo men In power to grant them what they wanted. He hoped more land would be set apart in Otago and Southland, and especially in Southland, for the returned men who were desirous of settling on the lane). The Chairman said the deputation would be pleased to answer questions. A gentleman askea was it proposed to use Lako Monowai or the Waiau for generating power? Mr Rodger said they would depend on expert advice. Lake Monowai was a possible source of power, andi so was Lake Hauroko. The Southland League was assured of a feasible scheme, and thab it could bo developed, but it had not been advised as to the best schenie but of the many it had laid before the engineer. Several other questions were answered. Mr A. Moritzson said the Otago Leaguo was anxious to work harmoniously and effectively on matters were common to the two provinces, and this hydro-electric power was cne of those matters. Ho believed everyone in Otago would support Southr land in having tho .bill placed on the Statute Book, It was a bill that :gavo each province independent power of action. My ' G. Fen wick (vice-president of the .Dunedin Expansion League) moved a hearty vote of thanks to Mr Rodger and the other members of tno deputation. The interests of Otago and Southland were absolutely identical. There waa a feeling abroad iji some parts that they were not identical, but what would help one would also help the other, particularly in schemes suoh as that advocated by the deputation. As far as ho could judge, the proposal ought to receive the heartiest approval of the meeting.—("Hear, hear.") Something of the kind was absolutely necessary if Otago and Southland were goings again tQ assume the position in the dominion that they occupied in former days, and which, he regretted to .say, they did not occupy to-day. Schemes such as that, laid before them by Mr Rodger would restore to this part of New Zealand .a greater prosperity than it enjoyed at E resent, and their present prosperity was y no means small. There was no reason to complain of tho prosperity or the trade of Otago. It was only because of adventitious circumstances that the north waa at present making greater progress than the south. After tho war was over, if this scheme waa pressed forward, and if the Government was made to realise —as it would be made to realise —that a fair sharo of- public money must he allocated for expenditure at this end of tho dominion, success would attend their efforts. Realising the great energy that Southland had displayed in recent years, he believed this

scheme would be pressed forward to completion. Southland was determined that nothing would prevent it from bringing the scheme to fruition, and there was no reason why Otago should not bring a similar scheme into effect. —(Applause.) He had no doubt that the people of Otago_ would heartily and cordially co-operate with the people of Southland in the efforts they wero making for the future progress and prosperity of this part of the dominion. — (Applause.) Mr J. Loudon (chairman of the Otago Harbour Board) seconded the -vote of thanks, and expressed the hope that the legislation required would be placed on the Statute Book, A number of details would, of course, require attention. Provision would have to be made for talcing oyer existing schemes, such as Waipori, which was now serving a radius of 60 miles. He wished the Southland League every success in its efforts. —(Applause.) The Hon. Mr MacGregor, M.L.C., said he had long felt that the policy of the Government on the question of dealing with electrical energy was on wrong lines. The present position was that the Government had e>o shaped legislation that it had a monopoly of dealing with the creation of electrical energy from water supplies. As a consequence, it was pretty certain that for a good many years the North Island would receive special attention from the Government. There were three large schemes at present proposed in the North Island, and strong efforts would be made to carry them out \continuously. If that came about, the South Island would be in complete abeyance in so far as the production of clcctrioal power was concerned l , because, as the law now stood, the people were helpless. The importance of the scheme laid before the meeting that night was this: It was not a scheme for carrying out electrical works, but a scheme to alter the law to enable the people of the South Island to deal with this matter themselves. —(Mr Macalister: That is so.) Ho considered it would be more difficult to get such legislation placed on the Statute Book than anyone had any idea of. He contended that it was -a wrong policy to* retain in the hands of the Government the nationalisation of electrical power. It was a policy ,introduced by Mr Seddon under socialistic influences, and it seemed to him that they were going to suffer very seriously unless the law was altered. He did not think there would be any ohange in the law for some years, bub they should continue to insist on a change being brought about. —'(Applause.) Mr T. K. Sidey, M.P., said he believed there were reasons that justified the Government in keeping a fairly close and jealous eye on the great natural resources that New Zealand possessed in its water power. —(Applause.) It prevented those resources from being used to exploit the people for the benefit of private individuals. It was right, too, that the Government should have control of those resources, as they would now be utilised, not for the benefit of a few, but for the benefit of the people as a whole.—(Applause.) He did not share the opinion of the Hon. Mr MacGregor that there would be a great difficulty in getting a bill of this kind through Parliament. —(" Hear, hear.") When the Cromwell Development party went to the House it got the law altered in order to carry out its scheme, or it could not have proceeded with it. It seemed to him that the proposals of the present bill were quite reasonable, because it was provided that the Goyernment had the right to acquire any undertaking on giving 12 months' notice. If the Government was not prepared to undertake a scheme, it must allow others to do it.—(Applause.) The country could not be allowed to stagnate. The vote of thanks to the deputation was carried by acclamation. Mr Rodger, in acknowledging the vote, suggested that there should be further conferences between the two leagues. Probably at a later date, with the Otago and Southland members of Parliament in attendance, some good might result from another conference. —(Applause;.)