THE TRAMWAY QUESTION.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume LV, Issue 217, 1 February 1913, Page 8

THE TRAMWAY QUESTION.

MOTOR 'BUS OR ELECTRIC TRAMWAY ? Mr. Walter Bewlcy writes again on the above subject:— I have now to deal with what is perhaps the most important point in connection with the tramway scheme, and that is the power available from the Waiwakaiho. Now, from an intimate acquaintance with the river, as a resident on its banks for three years and also as a fisherman, T have always held and expressed the opinion that there was not the supply available that is popularly siipposed. I have seen the river so low—and that below the junction of the Mangorei and other tributaries —that it could all have been passed through a three-foot pipe. The intake is, of course, some distance above the junction with the Mangorei, and the amount of water available is therefore much smaller. Now the volume of water available must, of course,'be reckoned when the river is at its lowest point, unless it is possible to provide storage. It would hardly appear to be necessary to mention this were it not that I find people gather their idea of the water in the Waiwakaiho from what they see at the bridge at Fitzroy, in ordinary weather. It appears, however, from the recently-published report of the borough electrical engineer that there is not enough water at the present time to fully utilise the plant for electric lighting. At the same time the town is taking all the water that is available, and this is the position with only our present population. What then, will be the position when we double or treble our present population, which I certainly believe will be the case in ten years?

A suggestion has been made in the Council to erect a weir at a cost of £2OOO, but what this is going to effect lam not at all clear. A low weir will not store any material quantity of water to tide over dry times, and if a weir was put in, say 20ft. in height, it would be of no use for the future, as, owing to the rapid fall of the river, which I put at about 1 in 50, it would only back the water up for 1000 ft., and owing to the river being simply a mountain torrent the storage area would be filled with boulders and shingle in a very few years. A dam of the height of 20ft. would, of course, cost enormously in ex- v cess of £2OOO. The question then arises: What water will be available for electric power, after making provision for the town supply when the population has doubled or trebled? Will there be sufficient power available for the supply of electric lighting when the demand for light has grown in proportion to the increase of population? It must be remembered, when considering the diversion of electric power for tram purposes, that the load is not only a day load, but a load going far into night, and then the unit is worth 6d and not l%d, as estimated by Mr. Black. In considering the horse-power available, we .want to know what is delivered at the electric station and not that developed at the turbines, as there is a very considerable loss owing to the resistance of the cables. Owing to the difficulty of getting data to go upon, I put my ideas forward subject' to * correction, as I am seeking for information which ought to be before the public. It is evident, however, that the Council knows very little about the position itself, seeing that Mr. Climie is to report on the water question, though how he is to give a reliable report on the question of supply available I don!t ' exactly see. The factors required are the volume and velocity of the water, in addition to the fall, which latter is of course known at the powerhouse. The ordinary methods of estimating volume and velocity do not appear to me to be applicable to the Wai- \ wakaiho, or, at any rate, difficult of application, and must be largely guesswork or an approximation. In addition, unless Mr. Climie can see the river at its lowest, its present volume is absolutely no guide, and would tend to an over-esti-mate, which would mean serious trouble in the future.

Now, if my opinion is justified, and I find to-day that it is held by a gentleman thoroughly capable of forming. an opinion, acquainted as he is with a great many details of past negotiations that I have not at my command,. what iB to be said of a council that has rushed into this matter and which still persists in advertising its proposals, before it has satisfied itself that the project is even'possible? Hundreds of pounds, I suppose, will have been wasted in getting reports, etc., which will be entirely thrown away, except perhaps as a warning of how things ought not to be done. Is the matter, of improved transit of, such urgency as to justify this unseemly haste? Instead of pushing this tram scheme, would it not be better policy to induce the industries of New Plymouth to use the power at 2d per unit rather than dispose of it to tramways at l%d? Another question that arises, with the prospect of cheap petroleum fuel and the economy of the Diesel engine, is whether it would not be more economical to obtain power from this source rather than to go to further expense with water power. But in this lam perhaps getting away from the tramway question. I have omitted to mention earlier in this letter that the whole of the water in the river is not available for diversion, • as the rights of the riparian owners have to be provided for as to water for stock a.nd, possibly, that the river should continue to be a.fence for stock, as it is at piesent. The water for electrical power is, of course, returned to the river, but at a, point some distance below the intake.