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Morwell Scheme Defended.
STATEMENT BY SIR JOHN
MONASH.
Replvinf yesterday to criticism of ths
Eloctrieitv Commissioners: policy delivered
by tlie Farmers' Union Conference of
country representatives, Sir John Motiash
and the Morwell scheme nad been under-
taken under the best possible advice. The
commission s enRineeriin; staff had a very
high standing, and Mr. Mcrz, of Men:
said M'Lcllnii. liad investigated all the pr.r
posals for the generation of power, and
had recommended the Morwell scheme.
. Mr. Mcrz having endorsed this view, the
Government submitted the scheme to Par
liament. Hydro-clccirie possibilities had
been mvestigatcd by Mr. A. G. M.
Mic.lieU, the most prominent hydraulic
cugueer in Anstraha. His report on the .
Kiewa scheme showed without doubt that
any development in this direction would
be premature, and was not to be pre
ferred to the Morwell scheme. In his evi
dence before the Select Committee of Par
liament, Mr. Michell Bawl lie would not
recommend the Government to proceed
thon with the Kiewa scheme. In regard to
criticism by Mr. VV. Stone, that gentle
man had said that the establishment of an
additional power house at Newport was
an alteration of policy. He (Sir Juhn
Monash) replied to that by stating that
from the beginning the commission's,
policy had been to bilk up Morwell with
the existing power house at Newport.
When Mr. Clapp arrived it was decided,
instead of cxtcudiug the existing Newport
power house, tliat the situation could be
oettcr met by building a new station at
Newport to burn brown coal, the existing
station being ' designed far ' slack blacK
coal. There was no increase iu capital
cost involved in this alteration. The Mor
well -scheme had an ceonotaic range ot 201)
miles provided there was enough demuud
at the end of the 200 miles to justify: capi
tal expenditure ou transmission lines-
Ballarat, Bendigo and Geelong and their
immediate surroundings- came well within
the Morwell range. Gippsland and South
Gippsland would benefit largely by the
scheme.. Other centres, such us the nortn-
cast, would be supplied if the demand
for. power warranted the expenditure. -
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