POWER BELOW COST.

Auckland Star, Volume LVII, Issue 204, 28 August 1926, Page 19

POWER BELOW COST.

CASE OF COUNTRY DISTRICTS. . QUESTION OF EXTENSIONS. NUMEROUS POINTS INSPECTED. Many points in the coujtr;- where it is doubtful if the consumption of hydroelectricit will be- sufficient U. cover the cost of reticulation are undei review in the extension programme of the Auckland Electric Power Board. The small centres include Clevedon, Ho wick and Buckland's Beach, and the roads along which applications have been made for power include Westney Road, Pukaki Road and Road iMangore) Rangi and Mahia Roads, off th» Great South Road, and the road to Panmure. A tour of over 60 mil=s by aotor car was made to these places yesterday by the members of the Power Board and the engineering staff. As a basis in considering extensions of the power lines the board has adopted £60 a mile as the minimum revenue that will be required to cover interest charges on the outlay. In some of the places visited yesterday the prospective revenue falls considerably below this figure, and the board proposes to consider the case of such places in deciding upon its programme for the country districts.

Clevedon is easily the largest outlying centre inspected during yesterday'e tour. A petition from this township was presented to the board last February. It contained 46 signatures of ratepayers, whc asked to have the electricity supply taken into their district. The inspection showed that the district was a scattered one and the residences were wide apart. Never be Self-Supporting. Mr. R. H.~Bartley, general manager, said it was extremely doubtful whether the extension could ever be made selfsupporting. The line would ..ave to travel a long distance from Papakura over country which had no prospect of producing any revenue. The cost of constructing it would be about £5000; and the revenue needed to cover that cost would be over f 360 a year. On the route to Clevedon the members inspected the various roads from which petitions and applications for ! power had been received. In the case of Westney Road it was explained that high tension and low tension cables would both have to be extended for one mile and a-half to serve only five customers. An estate waa to be opened up in this district; but the board could not see ite way to recommend that the work be done.

Pukaki Road, in another part of Mangere, gave access to the new motor racing track, and a guarantee of £40 a year had been agreed to by Mr. Henning. Poles were erected, but the businese was later formed into a company and work wae delayed. In consequence, the cables were not continued along the poles. The board was now requested to run cables to eupp'.y three consumers at the end of the line; and, in view of the fact that the poles were there, and the company intended to continue the work,* it was recommended that the line be run and the three houses served.

As to Kenwood Road, a half-mile extension had been arranged and guarantees had been arranged which would make it eelf-supporting.. The work was recommended.

Howick and Buckland's.

Howick and Buckland'e Beach, in the eastern area of the board's district, were both townships wibh a large number of houses. The reticulation of Howick, it wae stated, should begin ve-y shortly, as the programme had already been authorised by the board. The position at Buckland'e Beach was still quite indefiuite. There were 90 houses and baches, and the district would have to be treated ac a summer settlement. Even then, a la-ge number of dwellings would be occupied only from aturday afternoon till Monday morning. The bulk of the buildings were at present to be found along the Parpde and Hathaway Avenue. Only seven signatories to a petition that wae presented to the board were permanent residents, or residents for the greater part of the year, the remainder using the place for holidays only.

On the return to the city the members made their thirteenth stop of the tour, at Panmure Bridge. It was stated that the road from the top of the hill to Panmure was allowed for in the estimates. The first canvass had been disappointing; and the preliminary lay-out showed that it was possible t>, obtain a return of only £105 for five miles of reticulation, or les3 than one-third of what was necessary to cover interest charges alone.