HYDRO-ELECTRIC POWER.

Taranaki Daily News, 5 August 1920, Page 7

HYDRO-ELECTRIC POWER.

LARGE EXPENDITURE INVOLVED. DEVELOPING THE DOMINION. By Telegraph— Press Association. Wellington, August 3. A conference of hydro-electric power boards wag held at Parliament Buildings to-day. The Minister of Public Works, who presided, said that the electric power boards would constitute, the most important link in the hydro-electric developments of the Dominion. The financial Importance of hydro-electric developments might be judged from the estimate given in Mr. Parry's report of £7,000,000 for the North'island.system, which, at present prices, would run" to over £10,000,000. The South Island schemes would cost as much again, so that the developments" immediately in view would place the outlay on hydroelectric power on 1 a footing with that | of the railways and the telegraph systems of the Dominion. An expenditure approximately equal in amount was required, to distribute power to various consumers throughout the country. That work would be the functibh of the local authority especially selected for the purpose mid having jurisdiction over a large area, and it was With that object that the electric power boards' legislation had been set up. Already that legislation had fully justified itself. Nine districts had been gazetted under .'t. The Minister went on to say that half the present coal consumption of New Zealand would be directly replaceable by electrid power. ' At least one half of the kerosene and benzine now imparted would also be replaced by a fairly complete supply of hydro-electric power, and there would be a saving of firewood. It was estimated that the annual saving available upon the present fuel consumption was as follows:

Coal ... ; .-.-.,,t..t...-.. 3,000,000 . Firewood Mineral oils 500,000 Total ...v.* £3,810,000 The normal extension of industries during the next five years and the large number of uses to which electric power would be put would result in a gross saving to the public of double that amount. The conference then proceeded to deal with various remits. RECOMMENDATIONS OF BOARDS. A conference of hydro-electric power boards adopted the following remits, all of which came from Southland: "That the rate of interest which may be paid under section 40 of the Electric Power Boards Act be increased."—The present rate is 5J per cent. "That the Government shall guarantee loans negotiated by duly-constituted electric power boards." " "That a separate branch of the Public Works Department be set up to carry out the entire work of the design, construction, generation and supply of electric power in respect of all Government schemes, with the immediate appointment of a board to advise and as-

sist the Minister in control of such department." "That the customs duty on electrical plant materials imported, by duly-con-stitued power boards he remitted." Remits were carried recommending that a clause be added to the principal Act (Section 57) to embody specific provision empowering a board to purchase existing works; that a uniform complete costing system be adopted by regulation on all construction works undertaken by any power board so that the total expenditure may be correctly apportioned to the various works; that a yearly financial statement of the operations of each board be made in detail on a uniform system; that the principal Act be amended to permit a board to oe alternately formed by a specific order passed by each governing local body in the inner area of a proposed district; that power boards come under the definition of "local authority" in all statutes. A Palmerston North recommendation that local bodies may by resolution agree to join a contiguous local body or bodies for the distribution of electric power, was lost. The conference carried a motion to the effect' that the Government ahotild obtain all money required for hydroelectric development. Mr. London (Bnnedin), who moved the motion, said that the idea was that the Government could, by borrowing for the boards in general, get money more economically than it could be obtained by borrowing it individually. Another remit was that the Cambridge Power Board, in conjunction preferably with other boards, was desirous of purchasing Horahora from the Government. ;

The Minister said: You've got two chances of getting it—your own and Buckley's. The temit waa withdrawn.