WATER POWER.

Poverty Bay Herald, Volume XXXVIII, Issue 12586, 17 October 1911, Page 5

WATER POWER.

TH X HYDRO-ELECTRIC J>R( IPOSALS

KLECTRIFVIXG THE. RAILWAYS. KOMI.; USEFUL '"IRRIGATION

WORK

The Hon. R. MoKenzie, m the PublicWorks Statement, said : — In pursuance of the intention announced m my last year's statement to appoint an electrical engineer, Mr Evan Parry has been appointed to the position, and entered on his duties m July last. Much preliminary work has been carried out m connection with the Lake Coleridge scheme. The available market for power m Canterbury district has ben investigated and the requirements ascertained, and plans and specifications are m course of preparation for works providing for an ultimnte demand of 10,000 horse-power, and tenders will shortly be invited for a first instalment of the plant. Arrangements are bein«s--made for completing the first .section of the work m two years. It i.s estimated that a capital expenditure of about £375,000 will be required to efficiently instal the full 10,000 horse-power plant! and that when installed the district between Rangiora, m the north, and Timaru, m the south, can be supplied with electrical energy, with branch lines to different farming centres. It is hoped to make the system serviceable to the country as well as to the cities. In this we have very striking precedents m Switzerland, France, Germany, and latterly m England, where farms and cottages m rural districts are supplied with electricity for lighting and power purposes at cheap rates. The estimates of capital outlay and operating expenses indicate that power can be supplied at about £6 10s per horse-]wyer per year for wholesale supply for distribution' ami for factories.

Although the Lake Coleridge system is first m importance, owing to the urgent demand for an adequate supply of ■' power m the city and suburbs of Cliristchurch, other available sources of electrical energy are receiving attention. An investigation of the available market m the Whangarei district, where hydroelectric power is available from Wairua Falls, has been made, with satisfactory results, and preliminary steps are about to be taken for the" development of power from those falls and Wm Lake Waikaremoana. The electrical engineer iwiir visit both sources of power at an early date. It is of fundamental importance for the future development of this work that the fullest possible infornmtion should be collected with regard to rainfall and variations m the flow of our principal rivers over an extended niimber of years. This information is essential, m order that as population and markets develop, accur ate and reliable estimates may be formed of the water-power available to meet demands for this purpose. Gaugings will be undertaken of all rivers and streams which are likely to be put under control. Railway electrification .- The. conditions pertaining to the electrification of the Christchurch-Lyttelton railway are bein.-j; investigated and requirements ascertained. It Is anticipated that with the supply of horse-power available from Lake Coleridge, the conversion from steam to electric working will be profitable, and tenders for the work wili be invited m due course, with; a view to i.ts completion us soon as possible after the supply of current becomes available. After the application of electricity to the working of this line, its application to j other sections will be considered. In the meantime all information on the subject is being collated, and the progress of electrification of railways m other countries i is being carefully watched. In view of the rapid extension of electric workings m France, Germany, Switzerland, Norway, United States, and England, it is intended to make a systematic study of the traffic and train movements throughout the Dominion, with the object of ascertaining definitely the power requirements of the different sections. In other countries the electric working of railways, which has previously been limited to suburban services, is now being extended to main and branch .line's,* not only where traffic is heavy bat also on lines with a comparatively infrequent service. The Department -is considering the application of electricity- not only to suburban services, where its usefulness is undoubted, but also as an alternative to re-grading, which is proving necessary on many of the main lines m order to cope with the increasing traffic. The use of electric traction would dispense with the necessity of re-grading m a great many cases, inasmuch as steeper grades can be worked with electric haulage and at higher speeds than with steam engines. On new lines, also, it would be possible to reduce the cost of construction considerably, and to; expedite the work by the adoption' of higher , ruling maximum gradients than are possible with steam haulage, but which' can be advantageously operated electrically. Irrigation and water supply : The surveys and explorations m connection with irrigation works m Otago have , been vigorously proceeded with during the year. In the Ida_ Valley the irrigable area is divisible into several sections, .each section requiring different treatment. It is intended to deal first with the southern section, which contains some of the best land and the surface characteristics of which are such as to render it suitable for irrigation with a minimum of expense. The water required for , this portion can be obtained directly by gravitation the chief sources of supply- being the Manorburn and the Poolburn, m each of which it is proposed to erect two dams. One of the reservoirs will have a capacity of approximately 1400 million cubic fee ( t ; the others, though not of such large proportions, will still be of very considerable extent, the total area of water impounded being, 2887 acres of varying depths up to 78ft. As the rainfall m this region has m the pas;t shown remarkable fluctuations, being m the years of greatest precipitation as much as two and a half times that of other years, it is probable that the, dams which will be constructed will not fill all at once, and possibly not for a year or two, but when once filled there will be a large surplus from wet seasons available to assist during dry years. The Minister then .entered extensively into work, proposed to be done, including utilisation of the " fall ■of the water to produce electricity for pumping. , The first irrigation scheme to be completed is that for the Steward settlement, Oamaru district; Sikty-three miles 'of races have been constructed. For those settlers who have been able to use the water so far the effect on crops has been excellent. . .