CHEAP POWER.

Poverty Bay Herald, Volume XLVII, Issue 15319, 15 September 1920, Page 7

CHEAP POWER.

WAIKOHU HYDRO-ELECTRIC DEVELOPMENT. A particularly interesting survey of the Waikohu hydro-electric power scheme and a description of the work m progress has been issued m the shape ot an illustrated booklet by the Hydro-Electric I Engineering Company. The pamphlet is also complete with diagrams illustrating the wide extent of the company's distributing area, together with a uescriptivej sketch illustrating the simplicity, and adaptability of the Waikohu scheme. HO.W THE POWER WILL BE GENERATED. The diagram shows an artificial lake of 480 . acres whicli will be created at Rakauroa, having a Storage capacity of 8,400,000,000 gallons. ; From the dam a tunnel will convey the water through the adjacent hill side to the pipe lines that will carry the water down to the turbines at the power-house site. Each pipe line (two of which will be provided immediately) will serve 'a turbine of 4000 h.p., thus making the initial development 8000 h.p., or ecjual to the present Lake Coleridge and j also the Waipori (Dunedin) developments. Tho conservation of water m the lake at the ultimate clam height is sufficient to supply 20,000 h.p. for four months; even should not one drop of water enter the lake and the Waikohu river ,\vere dry for that period. ' • >;. COMMENCEMENT ]$F THE WORK. Since the election* of the present directorate a great deal of work has been done. Surveys have been made for roads, camps, temporary power plant and land to be purchased. Stoke has been obtained from various locawsies, and is being tested to ascertain its/ suitability for construction purposes. Machinery for constrution has been ordered and plans for the transmission and distribution systems are m course of preparation. All the work m the latter branch will be done by the company's own} officers. The office staff comprises 11 persons, and active construction is beginning! "HARNESSING" THE WAIKOHU. Illustrations m the* booklet afford a capital • idea of the method of harnessing the Waikohu river that' will be employed. The Waikohu river a^ Rakauroa has an elevation of 1500 feet.'above sea level. At Whakaurau it is only jibout 550 feet. Between these two closely situated points there is a fall of abofit 950 feet. About two miles from Rakauroa the river runs into a narrow gorge vyy suitable for constructing a dam. It "A proposed to build a dam m this gorgf, forming a lake above twA miles m length. The water from this Tbig reservoir will be conducted jby tunnel and pipes :*0 the turbines m the power station driving the dynamos ! that m turn will ge* lerate the electric power. The lake will^ provide storage for dry seasons, comprisin] . about 8,400,000,000 gallons, or sufficient W > run a 20,000 h.p. i plant for four four ri onths, even if the river drieli up compl itely. Nature has provided extraordinari y favorable conditions m the shape otfti large basirr with only a narrow outlet, DESCRIPTION OP HIE HEADWORKS. I The main, part of ,he headworks will be the dam. An aiched dam will be erected and of antipl«j dimensions to resist the thrust of the> ; water. The dam will be embedded into "the solid rock both on the bottom and aides. It is not a large dam and presents no difficulties from an engineering point of view. Every qualified engineer who has seen the site has approved of it, and has remarked upon the small section- m relation to the storage. [ | The tunnel is required to convey the i water from the dam -to the pipe lines. It will lie a small section tunnel and can readily be worked .fro^a as many "faces" las desired. A pipe line could have been used, bu,t the director!* were advised the ' tunnel' was by far thfe best engineering 1 job, and the policy has been (and is) i to have nothing but the best. Steel pipes, ; 42 inches m diameter, [ will be laid down i the hill from the tunnel mouth to the power station, over 80^ feet below. The i great pressure at the bottom will require a thickness of nearly an inch of steei I to withstand it. I It is proposed to , instal at once two , turbo-electric unts of 4000 h.p. each, or a. total equal to the present Lake Coleridge power station, with provision for a, third unit of equal 'power as the demand for current increases. This power is equal to about 24 times the amount at present required , by the Gisborne Borough Council. MATERIAL IN SIGHT. All tho material required for tho construction of. the works is m sight, and no difficulty is anticipn^ed..;i» getting delivery. Special measures have been taken to ensure supplies of cement and labor is freely offering. Ifc is the intention of the directors to moke tbe camp a good and popular one and so attract the best class of men. Discussing the matter of customers for. power, it is pointed out that if the whole possible output from Waikohu was sold at the average rate obtained by the Gisborne Borough Council last year the revenue would amount to more than £760,000 per annum. It would thus be seen what a margin there was for expansion—for a dividend could be received by shareholders from a revenue ,of £30,000. There has been much misconception as to the limitation upon divU dend. The position, is that the first charge on* the nett profits is a dividend of 6 per cent, per annum. After this has been paid half the balance is to be returned as rebate and the other half maty be added to the dividend. So that with a. net profit of £30,000 upon a paidup capital of £200,000 investors would receive 10_ per cent. Shareholders aro assured that the statements given have been carefully considered arid can be proved m every instance. Shareholders now number 1000. It is desired to multiply this number by three. After dealing with other important important aspects, the director* urge that the company is out to sell cheaper power, treat its employees better, and provide a better return for capital than is possible by any other method. They wish to prove that light, heating, power, and other living expenses need not be sent PUt of Gisborne to power authorities elsewhere pr to London capitalists.