"ON A PRECIPICE."

Auckland Star, Volume LVIII, Issue 185, 8 August 1927, Page 5

"ON A PRECIPICE."

ELECTRIC POWER IN WAITEMATA. IS HOBAHORA. OVERLOADED ? MAY STILL NEED DEVOXPORT STATION. "I think you are on the edge of a precipice," said Mr. W. Leighton at the meeting of the Waitemata Power Board to-day, when a report was presented by the committee entrusted with the closing of the generating piant in the Devonport power station. The committee recommended that the plant be advertised for sale in Australia and New Zealand, also that money accruing from the sale of the plant and the property be paid over to the sinking fund commissioners for the repayment of the Devonport loan, and further that subject to the sale of plant the property be sold. j The chairman (Mr. J. W. Hayden), in moving the adoption of the report, said the committee had" discussed the possibility of transferring part of the plant in the event of it not being sold to Helensville for use in the sub-station. It was at thie stage that Mr. Leighton remarked that they were on the edge of a precipice. He eaid that the plant at Horahora was heavily overloaded, and if one little thing went wrong e where would they be? Hβ had heard "unofficially tha tthe engineer in taking a j test the other night had to "switch over 2000" in order to get the test. He though it might be wise to retain the plant at Devonport as an emergency plant. The chairman: As the summer season is coming on I cannot see any likelihood of the plant at Devonport being needed in that way. Mr. S. E. Kennings said that in the event of trouble there was no doubt that the Devonport plant would help them. At the same time a lengthy period would elapse before they received replies to their advertisements, and by then the board would know how best to act. Mr. Trevithick: For Horahora to break down would mean a fortnight in effecting repairs. The chairman did not think there was any immediate danger from that source. It was more a matter as to whether they might need the reserve plant to help with the peak load next ; winter. Discussion ensued as to the method of disposing of moneys accruing for the eale of plant and property. The secu.'.ary (Mr. S. B. Bull) pointed out that as the money for the original purchase was raised for Devonport any money raised by selling now must go to the sinking fund. This view was endorsed, and the report of the committee was adopted.