Ten Years of Progress

Sun (Auckland), Volume II, Issue 416, 26 July 1928, Page 10

Ten Years of Progress

Hydro-Electricity Develops Rapidly

(From Our X-:s-idm Srportrr.J

WELLINGTON, To-dav. SINCE tlie inception of hydro-electric schemes in New 1. the Government has spent £7.500,000 on the ave principal stations. The £rst stage of Arapuni will be ready next winter, and the operation of Waikaremoana will commence in the autumn. This, according to a statement made by the Prime Minis* er here yesterday, will lead the way for a web of reticulation throughout the North Island.

Mr. Coates explained to tie conference of power boards yesterday that ant relation of electric development lion. bad adopted a policy of supplying power to everyone who would guarantee to take it. Wide extensions were being undertaken commensurate with guaranteed requirements. and indications were tka: the main transmissions could be pushed out into the North Auckland and N Taranaki districts very shortly. Before extensions were made, however, the guaranteed load had to be san-

| dent to pay for the capital charges on the extra finance required. The Government schemes now in hand provide for the completion and the inter-connection of power stations in the North Island at Mangahao, Waikaremoana and Arapuni- Mangahao is now complete, with 25.000 horse power. Arapuni with a first stage of 60,000 h.p., will be in operation in the winter of 1929, and an ultimate capacity of 100,000 h.p. will be provided, by adding 20,000 h.p. units as required, probably at the rate of one every two years. Waikaremoana. with its first installation

o? 40.000 h.p. should commence operations in the autumn of 1925. and can be increased to an ultimate capacity of 130,000 h.p. as requiredDEMAND EXCEEDS SUPPLY The Prime Minister .essayed to justify the Government borrowing for hydro-electric works, and said it was obvious the schemes could not be developed without borrowed money. He based his confidence in the soundness of the work upon the gratifying fact that there was a demand for twice as much power as had been contracted for. So confident was he, in fact, that he invited the closest criticism of the State policy in electrical development. In support of his contention Mr. Coates quoted figures showing plant capacity and total cost to date of the five Government stations, including headworks, transmission lines and sub-stations.

INCREASED REVENUE

In illustration of phenomenal development, the maximum load increases at the four working stations were shown to be:

In 1920-21 the Government had 238 miles of transmission and distribution lines, which had increased in 1927 to 1,261 miles, while other authorities in 1920-21 had 2,292 miles and in 1927 13,714 miles. The peak loads at ail stations had been in 1920 30,716 k.w„ and in 1927 106.251 k.w. Schemes for the extension of Coleridge and the inter-communication of this system with Waipori {Otago) and Monowai {Southland i, as well as for

a new station at Waitaki, are in hand, while surveys are being made in the j Nelson, Marlborough and West Coast districts. To show the growth which had taken place from 1918 to 1927, Mr. Coates explained that in 191 S the capital invested by all the electric supply authorities, including the Government, was about £1,500,000, whereas in 1927 it had grown to £18,936,136. The supplies now served over 1,200,000 people, as against 467,000 ten years ago. Consumers had risen in proportion, and the revenue, which was rising rapidly annually, approximated £l2 7s for every consumer.

Coleridge Horse-pew . 3 €.*00 er. Cost. £2.5*1. Oil Horahora .. is,-:-:-T Marrahao 2,373,*n Wa Jiaremoara 61Z.SSC Arapuni .. .. . 60,000 1.96S,€L3 Total £7.4rC,€§ , 5

IS’0 1'j26-27 1S27-2S >rattsIS, SS _ Horahcra .. . 2,” '-"O 12; 400 yargahan . . . 2*.I • o W a i k a r a r-~, r, a . — 1,010 1,100