ELECTRICAL WIRING.

Auckland Star, Volume LX, Issue 225, 23 September 1929, Page 19

ELECTRICAL WIRING.

STATEMENT BY POWER BOARD EMPLOYEES. REPLY BY UNION SECRETARY. We have received from Mr. M. P. O'Leary, secretary of the Auckland Elec-, trical Trades Union, a letter replying to i a statement published a week ago , from employees of the Auckland Power Board. This statement was in reply to criticism [ by Mr. O'Leary of these employees' qualifications. Mr. O'Leary says: — "The nine men whose names appear'in. the article, referred to have had no experience or .training in electrical wiring, work on the consumers' side of the Power i Board's main fusee. Erecting meters on | switchboards, wired and drilled by regis- j tered wiremen, entails the insertion of a few bolts and the , coupling of wires to the meter terminals, and cannot by any &tretch of imagination be said to endow a person so employed with a fund of electrical knowledge or experience. An admission of any experience further than this, on a switchboard, by the nine men in question would be evidence that they had been guilty of a breach of the Registration Act. If these nine men had a lifelong experience on the work in which they have been engaged, such experience would not entitle them to sit fora wireman's license, because they have had no experience on electrical installation work. Any evidence by these men that they have had experience in testing for faults on the consumers' side of any installation would also be evidence that these men have, with the connivance of the Power Board, been guilty of a breach of the Registration Act. How can these men know how electrical installations should be carried out when they have never done the practical work and have no theoretical knowledge cf the same ? That section of the amended Act of 1928, which legalised Class C registrations, was only intended to apply to hospitals, public pumping stations and freezing works, where failure of electric power for any lengthy period might mean loss of life or financial ruin. This section of the Act specifies that Class C registered men shall attend faults in electrical installations, appliances or, devices only in cases of extreme urgency, and then demands that such temporary repairs shall be inspected by a registered wireman. The original aim of tho Electrical .viremen's Registration Act was to safeguard life and property, but the advent of Class C licenses (for which no examination is required or period of apprenticeship demanded) tends to jeopardise the original intention of the Act. The 1928 Amendment of the Act left a loophole of which 6ome Power Boards have taken advantage, hence these nine men hold Class C licenses. An apprentice to the electrical trade has to serve five years to complete his apprenticeship, but may sit for his wireman's registration license after serving three years.

"Mr. Bartley says my statements have no.bearing on the two recent fatalities. I contend that the effect of Power Boards employing persons other than the most highly dcilled on installation faults tends by their example to eneourge amateur electricians. Overhead faults are not

difficult to locate, and it is common knowledge that underground faults manifest themselves in the shape of street volcanoes." Comment by General Manager. Asked to comment on this, the general manager of the Auckland Board, Mr. R. H. Bartley, said: "I feel that the position has already been clearly stated, and that any further comments by we can only be along the lines previously laid down, and for anyone to assume that a lack of knowledge or inefficiency on the part of the 'Power Board's employees contributed in any way to the two unfortunate fatalities can be classed only ae ridiculous. The whole of these circumstances were fully investigated by the coroner at the inquests, and thie "should suffice to support my statements. Our employees fully realise exactly what their duties are, and they are thoroughly qualified to carry them out economically and efficiently, and comparisons, as mentioned in the correspondence, are not applicable."