ELECTRIC POWER SUPPLY

Wanganui Chronicle, Volume 89, Issue 211, 6 September 1945, Page 5

ELECTRIC POWER SUPPLY

GOOD JOB DONE VIEWS OF MR. MEACHEN, M.P. FOR MARLBOROUGH WAR DIFFICULTIES AND TOO MANY BOARDS (Special). Parliament Bldgs., Sept. 5. The member tor Marlborough, Mr. E. P. Meachen, devoted a .good deal of his Budget speech to electric power board questions. He declared that as there was no shortage of electricity in the South Island lhe people in the country districts, now the war was over, should be given a supply. “I understand,” continued Mr. Meachen. "some power boards hav'' been making a canvass of certain areas to ascertain the possible number of consumers, but that in many instances the number is insufficient to justify the cost of reticulation. The Minister of Works, however, is preparing a scheme whereby the differ--ence between the income and the cost of reticulation will be met by Government subsidy. Electricity is such a boon, particularly in country districts, that every effort should be made to provide power. Even Pict on, which is a town of a fair size, has been content with a little tin-pot steam plant, which is fit only to provide lighting, yet Blenheim, not so far away, has power from the Cobbe River. If power boards can’t do the job the Government will have to see to it that these people have this modern facility made available to them. “There are far too many powfP boards. In fact, I think we could almost do without them altogether, and carry on al! the electrical activities through the hydro-electric department of the Public Works. Mr. R. M. Algie (Opp., Remuera): More centralisation. Mr. Meachen: I think the hon. member would be surprised if he took a little thought into the matter. I happened to be in Taranaki on one occasion, and I really forget how many small power boards there were about —Eltham, Opunakc and Stratford. Mr, W. J. Polson (Opp., Stratford); They are very valuable these days.

Mrt Meachen: But does the member for Stratford really think the small power boards necessary? Would not one, or perhaps tw r o, boards do the job as efficiently and economically. On a previous occasion I quoted figures in connection with the consumption of electric power and mentioned that the number of units purchased since 1935 amounted to 1,752,000, or an increase of 160 per cent. This was brought about by improved purchasing power of the people and their readiness to avail themselves of electric ranges, and by 1941 the number had risen to 128,439, an increase of 223 per cent. Here is another test of the financial welfare of the dairy farmers. The number of electrically driven milking machines in 1935 was 17,200, in 1944 31,2444, an increase of 81 per cent. Mr. Algie: Might that increase be due to improved reticulation?

Mr. Meachen: To some extent, but it is in general keeping with the prosperity of the people since 1935. As soon as this Government took cffice there was a very vigorous programme of hydro-electric schemes. If it had taken the advice of pow£r boards in the years that have gone we would not be nearly as well off as we are to-day. WAR-TIME DH nCI LTIES “Despite the war, and the fact that we had to wait for a lot of machinery we have done remarkably well. For the Waitaki scheme contracts lor machinery were placed in July, 1938, lor delivery in October, 1939,” Mr. Meachen continued. “Delivery was completed in June, 1940. For Waikaremoana a contract was placed in 1939 for delivery in September 1940, but the actual delivery was not made till August, 1942. The Higljhank contract was arranged in 1939 for delivery in August, 1940, but the actual delivery was in August, 1944. For the Arapuni 5 and 6 a contract was let in 1939 for delivery in August, 1940, but only one unit has been delivered so i far. That gives some idea of’the difficulties the Government N up against in wartime.

“The success we have had since 1936 is shown by the fact that the capacity of generating stations on a national network has been more than doubled, and the average price per unit to lhe consumer was reduced from 1.17 d. to .84d., at the same time, by doubling up the number of generating plants, the Government has made more electricity available. “When this Government came into office the capital outlay on hydro-elec-tric schemes was £12,983,410, and the annual gross revenue £940,863. By March, 1944, the capital outlay had increased by 77 per cent, to £22,788,613 and lhe annual revenue increased by 174 per cent, to £2,583,987, despile the fact that we had considerably reduced lhe price to the consumer. The capacity of lhe generating plants since the Government came into office has been increased from 187,000 kilowatts, Lo 376,000 kilowats. “Although there is some criticism about the shortage of power in the North Island, it will be seen that, notwithstanding difficulties through lhe war, the Government has been able to go forward with its schemes, and there has been very little dislocation as a result. Mr. W. S. Goosman (Opp., WaiIkalo): Why ? The Minister scoffed at power boards when they told him there would be a shortage. ' Mr. Meachen: It lhe advice of the er boards had been taken lhe schemes would not have bo/a gone on with at all They said, less tnan ten years ago, that lhe l..ne had conic lo 1.-ill a halt with hydro construction I ..chemes. That was their recommendation which ihe Government, in its wisdom, thought lit to reject, and lhe result is we are a lot better off to-day than if we followed their advice. Tne criticism levelled to-day is irresponsible, and takes no notice of lhe difficult times we have pasSfcd through in the last lew years. It is the same with housing. 1 would say that probably before the end of this year, under our State building scheme, we will have completed and allocated 20,000 houses.”