The Daily News. SATURDAY, JANUARY 24, 1920. BOROUGH ELECTRIC SCHEMES.

Taranaki Daily News, 24 January 1920, Page 4

The Daily News. SATURDAY, JANUARY 24, 1920. BOROUGH ELECTRIC SCHEMES.

The proposed hydro-electric scheme extensions were considered by the New Plymouth Borough Council 011 Thursday evening, when reports were received from the consulting engineers, the borough electrical engineer, and the general manager. Apparently the whole position has been altered, and in his report the feneral manager summarised the matter, giving also suggestions .which, if adopted, would provide a way out of the present difficulty, leaving the complete scheme to be carried out or eight years hence. The position is that at present the borough has available 1000 h.p., which is insufficient for present requirements. In November, 1918, a tentative estimate (before surveys had been carried out) was submitted by Mr. Blair Mason for providing an additional 7400 at a cost of £IOB,OOO, but on present prices the revised estimate for an additional 8000 h.p. amounts to £233,308, including £14,000 for the purchase of land, in respect of which it is anticipated £BOOO would be reimbursed. Last year the Council raised a loan of £40,000 for providing an additional 800 h.p., and the work on that scheme (E2) is now proceeding. It is now stated that for a slight alteration in this seheme, whereby an extra 200 h.p. will be provided, the cost of the work would be raised to £106.492. The question before the Council was what course of action it was mort politic to adopt. Mr. BlahMason submitted six schemes, No. 1 supplying 10,000 h.p. at a cost of £233,308, approximately £35 per horse-power,' and No. 6 £106,492, No.'s 2, 3, and 4 approaching so closely to No. 1 that the borough electrical engineer classed them in the same category, while No. 5 only provided for an additional 250 h.p., which was too small to consider. Assuming that for the present the complete No. 1 seheme is out of the question, there remains only scheme No. 6 as a solution of the problem. It has the advantage of being part of the complete development, but in its present form would only meet the needs of New Plymouth for the next four or five years, and in point of cost is expensive, as may be gleaned from the fact that the cost per horse-power of the complete seheme would be £35 10s as against £lO6 10s for the No. 6 scheme, which, in its present shape, is not favored by Mr. Bartley, its weak point being that it only provides for an additional 1000 h.p., which will leave nothing for outside areas. The general manager .(Mr, F, T. B«llriog»

sr), however, suggests enlarging the earthern race so as to increase the capacity by another thousand horse-power, which would permit of Stratford and Eltham being supplied, if desired, and delay the time when further extension would be necessary, while, if confined to New Plymouth, this extra power would suffice for seven or eight years. It may be possible, however, to enlarge this race so as to give 2000 extra horse-power by an expenditure of a further £3OOO, making the total cost of the races £6250, and on this aspect of the problem Mr. Blair Mason is to submit a report. In the event of this enlargement, the pipes would ultimately be used in the completed scheme. It has to be remembered that in arriving at a decision, the council is in a different position from a private company looking for profit, as the development of the town and district is the main object. This aspect of the question was stressed by the general manager, and should be endorsed by the ratepayers, who doubtless will experience considerable disappointment at the largely increased cost of the work. The Mayor, in our .opinion, took quite the propfer view in stating that the work must go on, and the only point on which the Council may have some difficulty in arriving at a decision that, will commend itself to the ratepayers is whether the extension of the present supply of current shall be confined to the needs of the borough or on a scale to permit of sale to other towns in the province. Bearing in mind that the development works would prove an enormous factor in the future prosperity, not only of New Plymouth, but of the whole ■ of Taranaki, and that, if the suggested enlargement of the earthern race capacity can be accomplished at a reasonable cost, it would be good business to have current to sell to other towns, it would seem to justify that course being adopted, for the more current that is sold the greater will be the revenue, and the cheaper the cost of generation. This decision must largely be influenced by the report of the consulting engineers. The matter is not one for narrow views, but for sound, progressive policy after most careful consideration of all the factors bearing on the problem, including the action of the Government with reference to the erection of transmission lipes. The general manager has put the position fairly and plainly, the trend of his suggestions being to proceed with work that will fit in with the complete scheme which will eventuate in a few years' time.