Water Power

Future of Papua’s Water Power Aluminium Co.’s Examination

P. MORESBY, April 2. 1 FROM a base camp at Kairukuj the New Guinea Resourced Prospecting Co. is checking on the hydro-electric potentialities ol certain rivers in Western Papua This preliminary “scout” survey has been in progress for a year!

The Co. may be finished in eighf months more, and then will decide whether to investigate further.

Of the shares in the NGRP Co., 51% are held by the Australian Government, and the balance b 5 the British Aluminium Company ol London. A director of NGRP, Mr, J. J. Boex, has just visited the base camp at Kairuku and the varied field sites. With him was Mr, Peter Cunliffe, of the New York office of Aluminium Trans-Atlantic Inc. Both now have departed.

A top-rank hy d r o-e lect r i c authority, Mr. B. D. Richards, whe has already made one visit to the Territory, will probably arrive later this year for another inspection He is senior hydro-electric sultant to Sir William Halcrow and Partners, hydro-electric specialists of London. Mr. Richards made a preliminary survey tour of Territory about 18 months ago, bei fore the Kairuku base was selected] The Chief Engineer in charge at Kairuku is Mr. Arthur Sutton, whq is directing the work of six Euro] peans. About 50 natives are em] ployed, and much of the river sur] vey work is done from native canoes fitted with outboard motors These have proved satisfactory.

EDITORIAL NOTE— Very little had been heard about the plane of the British Aluminium Co. dur-j ing the past year, and it had beer] supposed that the project to make aluminium on a very large scale, in Papua, from Papuan hydro-electric power, out of bauxite brought front deposits in North Australia, had been more or less abandoned.

It is significant, and of consider] able importance to Papua, to knod that these inquiries into the pos] sibilities of Western Papua’s gr eai rivers, are still proceeding—and, apparently, in accordance with a careful plan.

It is worth noting that the Aus tralian Government is in similaj partnership with another millionairl concern, Bulolo Gold Dredging Lt(L in the exploitation of the vast stands of pine timber in the Morobi highlands, in New Guinea.

The making of aluminium is de pendent upon the availability of ar almost endless and wholly depend able supply of very cheap hydro] electric power. The Aluminium Co is now constructing one of th< world’s biggest hydro-electric powei stations 350 m. from Vancouver.