WORLD AUTHORITY ON HYDRO-ELECTRIC SCHEMES IN DOMINION

Wanganui Chronicle, 5 October 1949, Page 4

WORLD AUTHORITY ON HYDRO-ELECTRIC SCHEMES IN DOMINION

AUCKLAND, Last Night (P.A.)— Mr. J. L. Savage, of Denver, Colorado, world authority on the design of hydro-electric power schemes, arrived at Whenuapai by air today on a six weeks’ visit to the Dominion. He will inspect power projects throughout the country and advise the Government on problems connected with them.

He said he preferred not to comment without first having a good look around. So far his knowledge of New Zealand power schemes was based on a brief report which had been supplied to him and which was full of “aborigine names,” said Mr. Savage. He hoped to make his report to the Government before he left the country.

Mr. Savage said he had just returned from doing work in Turkey and Israel and when he left the Dominion he would be going on to Australia, where he had been engaged on hydroelectric work several times previously. “We have a number of questions on which we would be very pleased to have the advice of Mr. Savage," said Mr. F. Langbein, engineer-in-chlef in the Ministry of Works, who, with Mr. H. L. Bell, district engineer at Auckland, met Mr. Savage at Whenuapai aerodrome. “We want him to have a look particularly at Roxburgh and some of the Waikato schemes which are particularly intricate.” Mr. Savage will leave for Wellington tomorrow if the weather is fine. He will probably travel in the Ministry of Works aircraft, which will fly over the hydro-electric schemes on the Waikato River.