Poverty Bay Herald PUBLISHED EVERY EVENING. GISBORNE,' FRIDAY, JAN. 19, 1912. ELECTRICITY.

Poverty Bay Herald, Volume XXXIX, Issue 12665, 19 January 1912, Page 4

Poverty Bay Herald PUBLISHED EVERY EVENING. GISBORNE,' FRIDAY, JAN. 19, 1912. ELECTRICITY.

Now that .Gisbome is fairly embarked upon its scheme for the supply of municipal electricity it behoves all who intend to make use of the current to get under weigh with their installations so that the system may commence under conditions conducive to success, namely a full load "'for both day and night working,, which would enable the Borough Council to fix its rates for current on the lowest possible scale. It may fairly be claimed that the generating plant which has been -installed at the municipal power-house is one of the finest sets of electrica-V generating machinery in the Dominion. It is, certainly of the most modern and economical type, and should enable the Council to produce electricity at a remarkably low- cost. The day may -come when the plan£Svill have .to be utilised merely as' a stand-by, as the Council may find it more profitable to come into the general scheme for electrical power from Waikaremoana, now the subject of expert' investigation, but in the meantime the people will be educated to the uses and advantages of electricity, and homes will be brightened, tasks lightened, and possibly light and power expenses reduced by the introduction of the -current Jo homes and, factories.' It is interesting . ; to ,nqite £he growing use of electricity all the' world over. .In a receilt issue of the Morning Leader, Mi- Chiozza Money, M.P., the well-known writer on economic subjects, urged that the growing necessity for a power commission in Britain to investigate* the means of conservation and best economic use of the energy supplies, which are the foundation of British wealth, is accentuated -by the extraordinary developments of water power which are taking place in the world. In many regions, he points out,, where the use of coal is economically possible, water power is being harnessed with such effect as to set up new and wonderful centres of industry. Here is a case in point. Winnipeg, by a referendum, has established a great municipal power plant at a cost of nearly £1,000,---000. The plant is situated at Point du Bois, 77 miles from Winnipeg, ahd^came into operation on" September 20. According to the American-Consul General at Winnipeg the plant is capable of developing from the Winnipeg river, 60,000 horse-power of electrical energy, sufficient not only to operate the municipal lighting plant, but to supply the city with sufficient power for general commercial purposes for some years to come. As a consequence, the city will be converted into a manufacturing centre, based, not on the burning of exhaustible coal with all its concomitants of dirt and unnecessary labor r but on an inexhaustible power supply which began before man, and may remain after him. It is hoped that the plant will be on a paying basis within two years, and that after that time the cost of supply will be greatly reduced. Even in the meantime the cost of electrical powfcr at Winnipeg will be only half the cost of producing power from coal The tw.rir.lc. is! a fine piece of engineering. By mfeans of a rook-filled dam, the fall df tHeWSM nipeg river was. raised from 32 to .45 feet, and an artificial lake of 600 acres was formed. The dam is 1500 feet ldiftj, and, as has been indicated, the transmission line into Winnipeg is 77 ''miles long. "I imagine," says Mr Chiozza Money, "that this wise 'stimulation of-nnjcbistry: in Winnipeg will have most valuable; economic effects. It will provide a better balance of employments, which :is

greatly needed." On the Rand, the Vicr ] toria Falls and Transvaal Power Com- j pany have now got seriously to work ( w}th a supply of power which will not only work the gold mines, but undoubtedly make It possible to work economically the Transvaal's many other valuable potential mineral resources The scheme here is not national or! municipal, but, unfortunately, privates New countries cannot too clearly bear in mind that power supply is a public service which ought to be publicly owned from the start, before artificial capital " values have been created and vesw*d interests built up, which must be compensated. Turning to Europe, Sweden is another country which is making use of abundant water power in lieu of coal. Sweden produces a negligible amount of inferior coal, and upon that coal she could not found a manufacturing industry of any importance. On the other hand, she is rich in water power, and is establishing great manufacturing plants upon it. Sweden's water power has been estimated at over 4,000,000 horse-power, and something like 100,000 units of this are being put into practical use every year. Then there is iNorway. According to Engineering, Norway is estimated to possess an aggregate water-power, suitable for exploitation, representing, when duly utilised, a total of 4,000,000 constant horse-power all the year round, and in addition 1,500,000 hojse-power can be reckoned with during threefourths of the year Consequently Norway has 45,000,000,000 horse-power hours per. year representing in coal about 30,000,000 tons. Putting the value of coal at 16s 8d per ton, tne above aggregate of hydraulic horse-power hours represents a sum of £20,000,000 annually. The above gives but a slight indication of the development of the use of electricity that is taking' place in various parts of- the world. Is New Zealand to lag behind? The present Govewiment have initiated a policy of forward movement and have engaged one of -'■' the highest' hydro-electric experts to be obtained in Britain to report upon our unrivalled so.urces of power supply. It is to be hoped that whoever succeeds to office after the fateful fifteenth of next month, there will be no retrograde step regarding the opening up of New Zealand's mines, 'of White coal. And when the time comes for Waikaremoana to be harnessed may the Gisborne consumption of current have grown to such an extent that the Borough Council will find it an economic advantage to supersede the present, plant by leading into, the town mains from the Lake. "