Engineering and Electricity.

Progress, Volume VI, Issue 1, 1 November 1910, Page 437

Engineering and Electricity.

Water Powers of the Dominion.

On the 13th of October Sir Joseph Ward outlined the now famous and much discussed water power scheme of the Government. He did so in his speech, moving the second reading of the Water Powers Bill. There are roughly some 4,000,000 horse-power in the various parts of the Dominion, according to the report presented by Mr. Hay in 1904. The object of this Bill is not to attempt to grasp all this power at once. It is to make a beginning by tapping some seventy thousand, making them available in about four to five yean; from the present time.

Sir Joseph Ward said the intention is to develop the following powers:— tuna. the river draining Lakes Rotorua and Rotoiti: Wairoa, Northern: Hutt, Akatarawa ('Southern Wellington) ; Makuri. Central Wellington: Waikaremoana or Te Reinga Palls, for Napier and Gisborne, particulars to be given in the Public Works Statement when the choice shall have been made between these two sources of sunplv; Lake Coleridge, Canterbury; Teviot. Clutha River, Otago; Lake Hauroto. Southland; Kumara, Westland. The Northern Station. “The Kaituna power would supply the Auckland district and the southern portions of Auckland, including the Bay of Plenty and Waikato. The horse-power would be 10,000, at a cost, including everything, of £320,000, the proposals extending over two years. The probable requirements of the north of Auckland would be supplied by developing the W fl iroa Palls to the extent of 3000 horse-power, at an approximate cost of £IOO,OOO. Power for Christchurch. The Lake Coleridge scheme would serve Canterbury between Timaru and Hurunui. It was intended to develop 10,000 horsepower, which would be less costly than any of the others, running to £270,000. The lake itself, which had a fall of about 480 feet in a very short distance, and only about three-quarters of a mile to tunnel, would be utilised. The present flow from the lake would give 5000 horse-power, and that could be increased very largely by diverting the Acheron and Harper rivers into the lake, giving an additional 12,000 horse-power. By raising the lake by a dam a maximum of 38,000 horse-power would be obtained, and a further diversion of the Wilberforce would increase it to 75,000 horse-power. The present proposal was to develop 10,000 horse-power immediately, including headworks for a + nr»a ofthowio 9.S OOH nAwnv ~ v " W ) UVV pvnvi, •«*“V distance that the current had to be transmitted was seventy miles. It was proposed to electrify the railway through the Lyttelton-Christ,church tunnel, which would facilitate the working of the train services.

The Wellington Scheme.

At Akatarawa, at the Hutt, it was proposed to establish a plant for the supply of current to Wellington and district, including Petone, Johnsonville, and all other suburbs. The plant would be of 10,000 horse-power, and the cost would be £300,000. The power available was 8500 horsepower for continuous operation, but if intermittent the power, of course, would be greater. The Government had already secured all the land necessary, including that for the reservoir. The length of the transmission was only twenty-four miles, and the line would pass through Lower Hutt and Petone. It would he carried along the railway or the road all the way.

For Otago and Southland.

The Otago power would be established on the Teviot, where 10,000 horse-power would be secured at a cost of £300,000. This would serve all the towns in the interior of Otago and also the city of Dunedin; and would meet, for many years to come, all the requirements of the province. In Southland it was proposed to establish a power from Lake Hauroto, where 10,000 horse-power would be secured at a cost of £350,000. This would supply the whole of the towns in Southland, including Invercargill.

Manawatu and Other Districts.

At the Makuri Gorge a station would be established which would give 6000 horsepower and cost £200,000. It would serve Palmerston North, Feilding. Dannevirke, Masterton, and a number of other places in those districts.

On the West Coast,

On the West Coast there would be a station to give 3000 horse-power. This would be built in conjunction with an extension of the Kumara water-rate. A transmission line would have to be provided to carry the current to the Otira tunnel and also to Greymouth and Hokitika. The total cost was estimated at only £75,000, owing to the work which was already done, and which would be utilised. Of the power generated 1000 horse-power would be devoted to the working of the trains through the Otira tunnel, and the balance of 2000 horse-power would be ample for the rest of the West Coast. The horse powers estimated for these are with three exceptions 10,000 apiece, the exceptions being Kumara and Wairoa at 3000 each, and Makuri at 6000. The Total Cost. Provision would require to be made for surveys at a cost of about £60,000, and the total* expenditure on the different proposals named would be £2,500,000. X T * »• wv tvWjWVVjVVV, Considers to Boncfit The cost to consumers, calculated on a basis of £lO per horse power per annum, would be very much cheaper than anythin (T +Vicnr OAlll fra f o+ ni<nnn»t Sjv-O Ub JJiCOUAUj cto xxxctxx u.” facturing concerns had now to pay any■f Itiwi nr -Pvatm -Cl +/» coa - fTTU r< j. ■--~b -ii v*iu cw-s.tr l/v «WUU. lac UUVviuiUviiu

contemplated, the supply of current at twopence per unit for lighting, and a penny per unit for power, which was very much below the charges now ruling. As a matter of fact, working out the cost on a basis of £9 per horse power per annum would be equivalent to a charge of but a penny per unit for intermittent working and a halfpenny per unit for continuous working. His estimate, therefore, was well on the safe side. .

To be done in Four Years.

The Government would be able to do all it proposed within the next four years quite easily, and he was confident that it would be found to be a very fine thing indeed for the country as a whole. The proposals sketched could be completed in the four years, including surveys. It was intended to start with the Lake Coleridge, the Kaituna. and the Hutt schemes practically simultaneously. The surveys for the whole of them would be put in hand without delay, and to carry out the scheme would mean an expenditure of £500,000 per annum for four years only. If necessary, some of the smaller powers could be put in hand later. At a maximum cost of £2,500,000 the country could have the full benefit of the great.powers now running to waste. It was beyond all question that this would, confer a very great benefit upon the country as a whole, especially in the industrial and domestic spheres.

The Probable Profit.

The value of the energy would be incalculable in the case of tunnels such as the Lyttelton-Christchurch tunnel, which would be electrified, although he could not promise the early electrification of sections of the ordinary line. Regarding finance, it was safe to assume that there would be a profit of £3 or £4 per horsepower per annum. There would be heavy depreciation funds, of course, and sinking funds. He was more and more convinced of the necessity for conserving the power to the State, as it became an immediately reproductive asset. He proposed to ask for half a million annually for four years, and at the end of two years some of the scheme would be reproductive.” It will be seen from this that a handsome balance-sheet is expected in the near future, as thus: Profit on 70,000 h.p. @£3 as above ... £2lO 000 Less ’ Interest and Sinking fund @ 5% • 125,000 Depreciation say . ... 25,000 Estimated profit ... £60,000 The estimates are of course not suffi- , f n 7 v* kj went for immediate work at any of the localities named. For the purpose, a sum of £60,000 is mentioned as necessary by the premier. He said also that the sememe would, be started with the Coleridge, Hutt, and Southern Auckland \ , * “ V j-ViLiLUlia j proposals.

The Basic Information.

: Up to : 1906 several reports were made by . competent engineers— Alio, of Swiss experience, Mr'. Hay, engineer-in-ehief of. the Dominion, and Mr. Hancock, M.A.I.E.E. The latter came at the invitation of the Government from California. He is an electric engineer and general superintendent of the California Gas and Electric Corporation.

These reports were made in 1904, and Mr. Hay made a second report in 1906. Since then the Government engineers have been at work. "What the additional details are that these have been supplying in the interval we do not know. Sir Joseph, on a date subsequent to that of his first announcement, said they were considerable. It was upon them, we presume, that the determination announced in Sir Joseph's first speech to begin in three places was based. He professed the utmost confidence in their capacity. Mr. Hancock's report gives a comprehensive summary of the work done by him. It is shown in a table giving the details of 44 sites examined and reported upon, the headings of which indicate for each the drainage area, the run-off per square mile of the same, the area of the lakes, if any, in the watershed, the flow per second, the head power, and the horse power estimated. Supplementing the table is a series of notes on the various. sites mentioned therein. By way of conclusion, there is a list of suggestions for further examination. The most interesting section of the report is that devoted to the description and history of a large electric power and lighting business entitled, "History and Eesults of the Bay Counties Power Company." As this was given for the purpose of showing what has been actually accomplished in the matter of the supply of electric energy over fairly long distances in America, we quote in its entirety:—

"In 1895 capitalists were interested in a plan to utilise the waters of the South Yuba River, in Nevada County, to drive electric generators, and transmit the power eight miles to Nevada City, Grass Valley, and the adjacent mining district. Nevada City had a population of three thousand, and Grass Valley six thousand. Each had gasworks, and each was supplied with electricity by means of small independent plants. Grass Valley was distant about eight miles and Nevada City about five miles from the generating station. Two 500-horse power generators were installed, to be driven by impact water-wheels, supplied with water under 851 b. pressure by means of a 48in. pipe and three miles and a half of flume, 6ft. wide and sft. deep. Water was diverted into the flume by means of a log-crib dam rock-filled, 28ft. high by about 200 ft. long! Work was started in July, 1895, and the plant was put into commercial operation early in February, 1896. Lighting for the towns was the first business secured, and.after that had been worked up pretty well efforts were made to secure businessxurmsxiing power to the mines. This was very slow, however, and it was two years before the original installation was loaded. At that time plans were completed to double the 'capacity at the tiatoct. and to instal a reserve water-supply! This "Was ftf>TWT > 1 / »t.P'l Ql*(\ TWI* ~ i~ -\ ■ w ~ V— ttiiU. ,p!*«< iiivU

service late in the year; ere this, however, both the little electric plants' and one of the gas plants had been purchased. The other gasworks was purchased later. "While work was being pushed in Nevada County a scheme was floated in the adjacent county of Yuba to utilise the waters of the Brown's Valley irrigation system to. drive generators near Brown's Valley and transmit the energy to Marysville, a distance of eighteen miles. Marysville was a very active business centre of five thousand inhabitants. The [large flour-mill, cold-storage plant, woollen-mill, and other small industries, besides the town of Yuba City across the Feather River, with its county buildings, barleymill, and packing-houses, made a very fine load when taking their energy from the plant mentioned. Marysville already had an electric plant, operated by steam in connection with a gasworks, both of which were purchased, and the lighting, gas, and power interests combined soon after the transmission system was gotten into operation, which occurred early in 1899. "The year 1898 was very dry, and all water interests suffered terribly. Some of the water systems were out of service completely. It was this occurrence which emphasised the value of the Yuba River for power purposes, and measurements were at once taken and plans made to utilise it to its fullest extent. This valuable water-right was in the possession of the Yuba Power Company owning the Marysville transmission plant. Contracts were made with the Nevada County Electric Power Company, owning the Nevada County system, for 3000-horse power, and with the Sacramento Electric, Gas, and Railway Company for 5000-horse power. The distance to Nevada County was only seven miles and a half, but to Sacramento was over sixty-one miles. During 1899 work was prosecuted with vigour on the new and large plant, which was named 'Colgate.' Current was put into Sacramento in September, and a month or two later a thirty-mile line to Oroville went into service handling gold-dredgers.

"It was in the winter of 1899 that the plan was conceived of running a long line from 'Colgate' to the Bay of San Francisco. So the Nevada County. and the Yuba County plants were consolidated, and work was at once started on this new plan. Surveys for the 140 miles of line were started in the spring of 1900, and current was put over the line to the bay on the 17th February, 1901. Contracts had been made for lighting the little towns en route, and for handling the street-cars in Oakland. Also, the Standard Electric Company, which had been working on its long-distance plant for some time, had trouble unexpectedly developed, and in order to hold their contracts, engaged to use all the power the Bay Counties Power Company could spare. It was during the summer of 1901 that the systems of the two companies were connected, and a distance of over two hundred miles handled commercially and continuously for a number of months.

"The machinery now operated by current from this system includes the following:—For mining purposesair-compres-sors, pumps, hoists, stamp mills, roekbrcakcrs, " concentrators, gold-dredgers; for commercial service in towns and along .Li.- i„ : ■■"< „„j.„„: _ v- t, uiiv; iLLCuu. «i i/Ciios •-•- ixiaCiiuie-SxiOpS,

foundries, planing-mills, ice machinery, laundry machinery, pumping for drainage, waterworks, flour-mills, feed-mills, woollen-mills, silk-mills, cement-works, fruit-canneries, creameries, agriculturalmachinery factories, "tanneries, smelters, boot and shoe factories, oil refineries, shipyards, jute-mills, street railway systems, irrigation, interurban railroads. Thus you will see that the uses to which electric power has been applied extend to almost every industry where power is needed, besides the ever-present electric light and fan motor. Cooking has not been done to any great extent, largely on account of the initial cost of the apparatus. This objection is now overcome to a great extent, prices having been established on the necessary articles so that they are in reach of every one; it only remains to educate people to use them.

"The record has been with the Bay Counties development that they were never able to furnish all the business that offered; even with the very large plants building they will not be able to keep the supply up to the demand. This has been the record of the majority of other plants also. You will find it the same with any development, you may .propose to instal." It will be seen that the scheme of this company was gradually developed from a transmission of -eight miles to 200 in a period of nine years, 1895 to 1905.

Mr. Hay, the late Engineer-in-chief of the Dominion, carried the work a good deal further than Mr. Hancock in his report of the same year— A great deal of information is amassed in that report. It supplements the information in Mr. Hancock's, and carries on the record of the first census, as it may be called, of the water powers of the Dominion. But neither in this report nor in that of Mr. Hancock is there any pretence at finality. Mr. Hancock was satisfied that the power is there and could be profitably harnessed.. Mr. Hay was still further satisfied, and for the year of writing left it at that. In 1906 he made a further report, which shows much evidence of the most extended surveys and the most careful observations. It is clear to any one reading the document with any pretence at closeness that the writer has reason to be still more satisfied with the state of things he has been investigating. Speaking with a due sense of responsibility, he has stated the result of his laborious investigation in figures. Approximate they admittedly are. But even at that they encourage the conclusion that we have before us here a strong possibility of commercial success. The sale prices, he states, all round for most of the schemes announced by the Prime Minister varies from £5 10s. per h.p. per annum to £7. '

That the Prime Minister has had further information the result of further investigations is only another way of saying that there is an engineering department, and that this has been at work collecting, surveying, estimating, testing, and that after the Legislature had accepted the principle of State monopoly in this matter of the water powers. The State having announced its intention to make practical use of these powers, has been at work on the investigation of the problem of how to solve it. The first _ instalment of the user is now before the public in the scheme designed for taking the simplest offer that nature makes of the powers. That none of the schemes of the series announced is ready for the contractor is evident from the way in which the Prime Minister referred to them. That he has placed the cost of further survey at £60,000, and that he has stated that only three of the schemes are in a fit state for immediate further preparation for the eontractor and that he has taken the average sale price at £lO, is a sufficient refutation of charges of recklessness and wild-catism.

The work is offered in a far more forward condition than the great Public Works Policy of Sir Julius Vogel was offered. On that famous and . momentous occasion the Legislature sanctioned the rsririeiiDlc that a B , im ,s* -.-.-.,",«,.

might be raised for railways and other works and immigration, without having before it the estimate or even the name of a single railway or road or batch of immigrants or contract with any shipowner or constructor. The Legislature trusted the Government to comply with all necessary technical requirements before proceeding to spend a farthing of the money. Detailed estimates came later, and were followed by appropriations. • Now in the recent instance, the works have been mentioned, together with their general cost and the necessity of further survey. There is moreover, a carefully prepared statement as to

the monetary results to be reasonably expected. This should clear the public mind reassuringly of much misunderstanding. The question has been raised of the economic limit of transmission of electric energy. Mr. Black, of Wellington, has declared that the length proposed of the carriage to Auckland from Kaituna is prohibitive, to the extent of six times the cost of the steam generated power at the terminus. The cost of the steam generated is £2O per h.p. per annum. The profitable sale price in bulk is set down by Mr. Hay in his report of 1908 at £5 10s., the Prime Minister bringing it up in his estimate to the House to £lO. There is still a good margin. Mr. Black, confronted with this discrepancy between his statement and that of Mr. Hay, says that he knew Mr. Hay to be doubtful on the point. But the fact remains that Mr. Hay reported with a due sense of responsibility, evidently with the intention of guiding the Government in the matter. In this connection we refer to the description of the Bays Counties Scheme given in Mr. Hancock's report as above quoted in full. It is the description of a going concern which has worked

regularly at longer distance transmission than the Kaituna, and at a profit. The Kaituna distance is set down as having been in use for a long time. The greater distance of 200 miles is described as having lasted for months. It remains to consider the market for the powers supplied. The right thing will be, of course, to sell every unit. These amount in the • aggregate to 72,000 h.p. How much of these can be sold depends on the price of course. As we write, there is published in the "N.Z. Times" a letter from Mr. Neville, a distinguished electric engineer of much experience, who, after referring to the Ontario Company's work extending over a large area of that Provinee with a transmission -extending to Ifil miles, contrasts the price of the unit here in Wellington (steam generated) with the price or the_ same in Dunedin (water power from Waipori), and the costs stand thus in the compari- - son: one-third of a penny per unit., a sum on the faith of which companies have taken contracts extending over seven years, for Dunedinwater, against threepence (six times as much)

for Wellington-cum steam. Mr. Black has spoken of the Waipori scheme as not a distinguished - success! But these figures are clear enough to require an answer-. At all events, whatever the Waipori may have lost in the earlier stages, it is clear that it can profitably sell power at a unit price one-sixth that of the . Wellington Corporation. This is a reason for regarding the Government scheme as having, been reasonably thought out in most of the important details. .:.:.,' Therefore, it is fair to conclude, that a proportion of the power, when brought to market, will be absorbed by the market. In addition,

there is the undoubted fact that the supply of cheap power makes always a demand for it. On the whole, it is a fair business risk. When a man staits a big business he does not require, and seldom gets any, promises from customers, let alone does he exact guarantees before opening his premises. He simply advertises in the paper that he is opening such and such a business, and that he hopes, by unremitting attention to business and the most liberal treatment, and the best possible selection of materials, sizes, fits, what not, to deserve. support which is always accorded to superior merit. His friends do not, in consequence, turn on him as a wildspecies of lunatic. But there is a cry that lots of: plants may be "scrapped." That cry has gone up in many places before now. But wherever it ha 3 gone up it has been a cry of jubilation based on the fact that the scrapping was the necessary step towards the salvation of the business threatened with disaster by new ideas. So it must be again, Whatever plant Municipal, joint stock or individual, has to be scrapped will be the better for

taking power from the cheapest source. These plants, it must be remembered, are on foot: for the purpose of dealing with power economically, It is their sole raison d'etre. : ™ ; As to climatic influences which Mr. Black dealt with as drawbacks to long distance transmission, especially in this climate, the only categorical reply made to him is by Mr. Neville. Most of the criticism of Mr. Black, it must be admitted, particularly the criticism devoted by the southem papers, was more remarkable for energy than knowledge. For that reason we have not noticed it. The exceptions from this rule outside the Legislature of the criticism levelled at this

gentleman are the remarks of Mr. Hay and Mr. Hancock, to which we have referred at some length, and now we wish to add Mr. Neville's testimony. "One of the very first lines, an experimental line established between Frankfort and Lauffeen, in 1891, which covered 118 miles, proved that atmospheric conditions were hardly worth considering. The perceptible loss from rain or fog was not apparent on the instrument. Even at that early date the efficiency of the line was 72 per cent. ' It should be remembered that snow and rain are fairly good insulators, . and offer no difficulties to big voltage work. The' trouble with high voltage work is generally due to dust, and perhaps railway smoke, and in my opinion, high voltage work should not run alongside a railway." As to the others, there is tremendous piling up of prophecies and predictions, the summits of theory rising into the highest strata of the most ethereal romance. But standing on the earth steadily we may contemplate with serenity the scheme of the Government, as not likely to rush the country into any sudden depths of disaster, and if it is not full of romantic possibilities, it is, at any rate, likely to be regarded as a business concern subject to ordinary business risks, like any other concern which the Government of the Dominion has taken up within the last few years. The balance of expert evidence seems to incline in its favour.