HYDRO-ELECTRICITY

Waikato Times, Volume 92, Issue 14263, 14 January 1920, Page 6

HYDRO-ELECTRICITY

THE POSITION OF WAIPA. CORRESPONDENCE ON THE SUBJEC T CONFERENCE WITH HAMILTON. Communicating with the Waipa County Council yesterday on the suoject of an electric power hoard and the extension of the To Awamulu Board’s district, Mr 11. F. Toogood, consulting engineer, slated that the Council, hunderstood, desired to hold another conference with Hamilton, and also to come to an understanding with the To Awamutu Board with regard to the inclusion of an area north of tlhe presciu defined area and in the vicinity of Hamilton. It would he necessary to map out the area, which could he supplied either from the proposed substation or by a rearrangement of substations. The Council would understand that the extension in the proposed area might mean a complete alteration of the Te Awamutu Board’s scheme ot reticulation from tho northern substations. The hoard was now a compact economical area and it would m necessary to go over the new area to determine its probable revenue capacity per mile of reticulation. All this could be done fairly quickly if assistance was given by some of the lending settlor;* who knew the district. Tho Need for Action. The Council was advised to “lose no time, as-the Minister of Public Works is moving in the matter and the power available will be allotted very shortly, and Hamilton may secure for itself the whole of the 500 h.p. which lias been set aside for that district without being compelled to serve the back country.” . „ TT , In a communication to the Undersecretary on January sth, a copy of which was before the 'Council, Mr Tooirnod stated that Waipa was about to arrange a conference with Hamilton horouch with reference to the supply of electrical energy to that portion of ,nn county surrounding Hamilton. It was pointed out that at a previous conference the representatives of the county urged Hamilton to form a power board in order that the surrounding district would have some control over the distribution of power, or as an alternative the Hamilton borough should abandon the five-mile radius license as far as it applied to the county, and so enable a reasonable power board to be formed independent of Hamilton. Hamilton had made no move in the matter, and the county was now making a determined effort to bring about a solution of the difficulty. The opinion of the Under-Secretary was sought on the question of the live-mile radius license as follows, In the event of the Hamilton borough refusing to form a power board to include a reasonable portion of the Waipa County and which ■the Department would approve of — (a) Can the Public Works Department revoke or amend the license if the Hamilton borough fails to completely ■reticulate and serve the district included in the license to the satisfaction of the Waipa County, as far as it concerns the ratepayers of that local body? (b) Can a power board be formed independent of Hamilton to include tint portion of the county now included in the live-mile radius license or will the existence of this license prevent a board supplying to that portion of the district?

(c) Will the Public Works Department during’ the shortage of power take into consideration that Hamilton is now served by both gas and electricity, and in the event of failing to form a power board, divide the power which would otherwise have gone to Hamilton between the borough and the district, in order to safeguard the interests of the county residents? It was added in the communication that the Te Awamutu Power Board committee was desirous of giving any assistance possible to arrive at a satisfactory means of supplying the district concerned and, if the necessary power was granted to them, would not oppose the extension of the Te Awamutu district to include a reasonable area of the county north of the present boundary. In the meantime the Waipa County desired that, no definite arrangements be concluded with Hamilton as to the amount of the power it would receive from Hora Hora until the Hamilton borougn had made satisfactory arrangements to serve the country districts surrounding it. Minister’s Answer. The Minister of Public Works (Sir W. Fraser), in reply, stated that he was informed that the Hamilton borough was quite prepared to extend its area so as to include the districts in the Waipa County specially requiring electric energy for lighting and power. The Minister added that he was also informed that the proposed Te Awamutu, Power Board was willing to extend the area of its district to include a considerable portion of the county if the necessary steps were taken by the ratepayers to apply to be added to the proposed district. It must be understood I

also that although a license had been given to Hamilton to Supply energy in the borough and also within a llve-miie radius of the borough, it gave them no exclusive right. If they were not prepared within a reasonable lime to supply energy the question of issuing a futthei license to some other body could !•• considered. Under the circumstances it appeared lo the Minister that the Council’s host course was to enter into negotiations with Hamilton, if they found it impossible to come to a reasonable arrangement they could then see wha. could pc done in respect to the offer of the proposed Te Awamulu Power Hoard lo lake the county in. Ancther Viewpoint. The Te Awamutu Electric Power Hoard committee advised that it had been informed that the best procedure would he to endeavour lo get Hamilton to agree to cancel its license so far as the live-mile radius over Hie county was concerned, or failing ibis, lo accept the power hoard for the district down lo the To Awamutu board’s northern boundary. The committee would bo pleased to convene a conference between the Hamilton Borough Council, Waipa County and the Te Awamutu Power Board. The board’s petition was already i n *lhe bands of tiic Department, and had had Ministerial approval. Ii would not be wise to disturb these negotiations, and an amicable arrangement in respect to the existing license was much to be preferred. Waipa Replies to Minister.

Replying to the Minister’s communication,'the clerk lo the county stated that it was a surprise to the Council to learn that the Hamilton borough was prepared to extend its area so as to include the county’s districts now unprovided for. Hamilton had not supplied the county with any information as to tiheir intentions, but tho Council presumed they intended an extension of their existing license. The attitude the County Council took up was, not that they wished Hamilton to extend us license, but the county objected to the Hamilton borough or any other local body holding a license over any part of the county under existing circumstances. The county’s desire was that some contiguous local body, preferably a Hamilton electric power board, with Hamilton as its centre, should embrace the portions of the county as yet unprovided for, in which board this territory would become a “constituent district.” The County Council did not ignore the fact that in 1017 it agreed to allow the Hamilton license to apply over the five-mile radius, but maintained that such did not bind it indefinitely and that the position had changed absolutely and that the agreement could not be held to apply in the altered circumstances. With regard to the :urth n r suggestion of the Minister that the Council should confer with Hamilton, Waipa would endeavour to hold a further conference. “We. have already held one conference,” the communication stated, “and were met very unsympathetically. Hamilton plainly stated they were not going to ‘surrender their independence.’ ” The town clerk of Hamilton boroucu advised the county that the number of ratepayers in the Waipa County who are probable consumers was 330 with over 50 acres and 43 with 50 acres The estimated cost of reticulating the area would be between £40,000 and £50.000, and the horse-power required at least 750. Cr. Johnson, who further outlined the negotiations, stated that the Te Awamutu district had been approved and power allotted there and elsewhere, hut Hamilton was withheld. The Council empowered its present electrical committee, comprising Crs. Johnson, Peacocke and the engineer, to act on the Council's behalf at the conference.