A NATIONAL SOEME.

Poverty Bay Herald, Volume XLV, Issue 14647, 3 July 1918, Page 8

A NATIONAL SOEME.

HYDRO-ELECTRIC D^ELOPMENT. ■ ' In the course of a let!' oh the above sufeject.in the-Welling,fi Post Mr. H. Hill, Mayor of Napier, *,ates.:— . '; jImagine the -ectinbiiiijil use of coal against the econd'ftiical p of electricity! Gomparev for example, storehoUfieß, one -2000 feet below thfcidrth's ■' Surface, the other 12000 feel aboV sea-level. ■ Let us. suppose the^n to biof equal area, that tjelow the aurfacoDeiiig coal, that above sea-level • being Viter, as for. m- ■ staifce, Lake Waikaremina m the Wai- 1 roa County, v little J»rth' of the 39 ■ parallel. The lake W 2^uarie niiles m extent. It' i» 2015 ft .(above tlie sea : leyel. It is 840 ft. r dee) -wiili -^{iter as I pure as sujply, ' It'-ba» an i qUtflmr itiat felec'tricvdl en'gineevs. caft fully ap^reoiafe "Nmv £he £übi--6cii tontents . bl a 'clepcit; of coal eijiia!' h\ iextfeiit ] U thfe NratVs m the', lake 1 l.ianiett &M Sis'tfo;. tJlie; I'elatiiv^ valiic of each to "tM.. Dc^hMo'A!. for aonibisfeiti, ihaiuifacturihi,; scientific, and' ecojidniic purfso6es.,.g'entfally. \Ve' aH kiioW wliat aiU : coal ti'aVb&eri ta'^hc de- 1 yelopment ., of , riiaiittjtjfclur.eß '., m the Motherland, but the jwght^ liy&ce-e'lee- 1 ■triual. establishments atj Niagara iii the United' States .and Caji|itia have shown ,the world /'tliat. tlie ii|bii|sat>ion of Avater.poM'.er, where fa^orablyiV-situated, is the niost potent, ecpnomip fc|i r ce' yet provided for the deyelogniejiit d'f \ligljt, heat, and' ppwei.. Artjqng comniurtitifts. ,One/has only to visit the NmSdxk. Itydl-o-e'leeferieal .'installatjo.tig id ..reUlisii the j^rophe^ie meahifig. of i 'XhQjiipaoii's wdvds';^ ' : "For I dipt irito ike ,Mur6; Ijtr a|? : hunian eye could Kee. , ■; Saw the viaion of .the world,, and all the wonder that would vbe. ;7 Saw the.- .heavens: fiJl , , wifc)v\, : commerce, .' argosies of magj«, sans,- „,, Pilots 0f ... the., purple twilight, dropping down with costly balbs." ...,,. . We afd but? stepping into the world of wonders that will be uiifdldexl bj hjrdro-eleetHcat development ; ill iKis country, arid 1 although fcoal wilt bb utilised iii many way's it must gH/j place to water -pQirer wherever auoh power is available, ■ because by ita use eledtiical generation.' , can be obtained! under a national scfieme at ii|most; iiomirial cost compared l : >yitb- the benefits conferred. The people of- this country have- become so accuktom'^ : to th'e ' use ; .of coal for domestic purposes, that i,t. is : yet far from bejng .realised. . How cheaply, every house voqiUa;' Be supplied with light aaid A^t by. i^^'pting^_,a'\system v ßuch^',iia'''is njpjy aydilable 'm Ch^istchui-eh) ' and ■m nouses ajV^i factories^ beiWeeii (^istaliurph and .Lf^Re l Coleridge. '''I'Np * Country -haa finer .; store, .lakes than ' bi^i* owto,";" arid the 'ifs especially f af bred && .to ftositipii'^ii^'area m, tlte matfc^r of "iinli(njited' supplies. ' Anyone .interested IJQfMM^i ''ypkft 'ft fliap o| "the North Island ;an4 locate. the| places n\entiipned; ? foi; in'-st.arice;,,-by Parry, . as a,mbng the rnp'st • important • of"' .supplyLakes .Waik*a^emba,n4. a^jd Taupb,, and tJje'.MaqgahabL . eaS|b ot .Shaniipn, have, .b^en^.selected^ibr -special .reports. Tjhe Stujjkia JFaJl(sj Ariaiia Rapids, ."and Waijjatp bqiild provide sufficient h>dro-electrical 'power for. t)ve wholly conimunity. of this Jand ( f pi* many y^ars, ' c.q^. Wfiijfe'aremoajna. fljangaha6..cp.uld ;m ; QVi,de , "s^flicient^'fpr the whole oi Wellington . a^ea^foj"- some years, „but,.^he question* is. iioi :lbca^l or prpy.-inciaL .;■ '. .'.-';','.': ; '. "',.'.'!. V. -"•■■. i ;; It is a national question r tb '.."? ! decided,, fcflf'ilt ,|s ..tb^the: "bejie.f|t. of ijvis cpuntryj tjiat .every t^vrn',,, ( v,i[lag^ factory, 'Vaiipj Upmes^ead %s usL<e$ [vnSyitli $, gerieraJ-l Lsed;,. scheme, . "thai „w^uld T ,jprby"id^., lighjj, 1 heat, and power for aiiirinriite' ."variety of. , purpose?, „4a ,an,d i)equire ri r ;3?t»e gi'eat . '.t&ffi.. o.f . every [ citizen! w,ho, .wishes-. ( well for,' ,t^is' country s|i6u]d; b&. vto ..sj^k; all')ocal jealousies. ,and v\nite i or , a. . ; qpranion .".purpose. ,i '.[ Fpllo^ing, 'thej war a lieav'y, Viay^ a very heavy . b.urdehj will be .imposed on .avJfner-et, .tiilliipii- bf| citizens in.-.the- shape. .Cqf, interest. , Up; to ,. tho beginning. bf^. (tho "^aix bur,.borrb>r-; ijigs ... fpr - natipnaj 1 . p x ui > .ppses >> , yreps:. foir developmental wpric thrpj-vig^jj'ut^the coun-' ; try,i . : \vhich, . materially ...assri'sted' . prpd^c-j tipn, but; mqn^y '..- expended,, ori wa,i*., isi non-prpductive^- .aiidjr.th^ • Jieaiyy interest that must be iionpVa.l^ly ,4net fo^p_w x iflg' the close pf, : the can only, be met; out ,xxf .prodiic^o^. , v But • since , Jthe".b.e-j ginning of^the.jwar/ .pvpdufit^on' Has ijot' iricreased -to : any, exten.ty /and.a'it^veat .si& miioli. .' move than 'dpublfdv " v §g „ that. ,it follows, ,th^t\ L pnt of present /.producticMi more than, : dp.ubie;,t;he/jpja-war' tßi^ft.tip'n must be. imposed,, T^ndey £%, trying Conditions. it->,Mrpuldi. ■manifeßtly..,b;e. imju^t to give spe<jiai> economic .♦ 'aavanlagfs. to one portion of, the, community qs /against the whole.] It i^ fp-i'.thi^roaspn. that the selection, pi centres Ipr the, prodxjctiqn of - electrical .> .energy j stioufd be v ,^qidQd with a view to'th^ general aijd not #U2 particular good. There ie. sufficient potential power, available: on,, the f W,^»iato and at Waikaremoana,:. Lake tp\ supply, ."if linked' together, the .viiple of/^^nejlortli Island^ for every. : purposp . '.that'\,Wil],;.add' to ; the domestic, . industrial* ■ and , pdinmerjeial conveniences o£;. 'the people. ,^jad the priceuof -. the -.no^rerj /what.^dll it be? Itis here that, eobnomies.wjijl. be possibly among the -people; such .as. will, .hejp them to meet. increased ta^tatipn .-'which is "sui'e to follow. as.. the outcome of bur rapid'ly-grawing debt..i T-his is . AvWt Mi". Birks states m the . : >.jQU.rnal ,pf Science: as to ; the .benefit pf, the .- Lake Cbleridige scheme to OhiTstchurch :-—i > "The immediate effect of >the .introductionof" liydro-electric power; m .tho <?i,ty was a striking reduction m the.courtcil's retail and; wholesale charges .f oi; electricity. •■ The average charge ipr ligbk was '-reduced! from 5d- to 3d, ;aud. for power! from 2£d to Id, vfitfe. whql^jile rates down to £d- for ordinary dny\ .wpyk a\ic( to- l-6dl for night work.. , In, -thje two years since a regular supply has beeppptained :from Lake Coleridge, ,tho de--mand within the city has- gone up, frbm' 700 kilbwatt» to 2200 kilowatts, .and,. is &till increasing rapidly: „ During. ;. . the' same ,'pesriod the number of consumers ,\yithMii the r c city has gone up from .162' i tp v whom 22/pe.r cent. . now pay less , than' -three shillings peu month, aj^d 35 ■pen cent, pay less;, than four shillings per, month bn the average. -Electricity; til 'jt^hmticliurch is thus .distinctly the Ppor"mEii's light." • ...'/! , sub}tect is so important and L? arbUßiiig Great Britain into activity, that i;. propose; to ,deal m another letter with ,th^'--."|lnteiim- Report on the • Electric Ppwei;' .. /Supply .m Great Britain," . .re-, iejx\t\y is^upsi, and 1 it« application to our, pwn. propj^aJs, ;... /"f ■■;■■■' .'■'■ ... „; •