AUTOMATIC STATIONS.

Auckland Star, Volume LX, Issue 232, 1 October 1929, Page 10

AUTOMATIC STATIONS.

POWER CONTROL,

PROVIDING FOR TRA*^

ACCEPTANCE OF TENDERS

The undertaking of extensions W * • Transport Board has necessitated"? Auckland Electric Power Board provision for additional sub-stations t Remuera and Point Chevalier. At terday's meeting, the board aJ£ tenders for the supply of equipment Sioo DS t0 the valu ««£ It'wae explained by the general ffl a n . ager (Mr. S. H. Bartley) during I course of a general discussion on Iγ tenders that supervisory control emiin ment that would be installed wonto make the sub-stations automatical controlled. Tests would be taken m& boosting regulated at a deek by «, ■ simple pressing of a button. The eqnin ment would also indicate the load auto" matically, and owing to its labour-gay'W advantages would pay rapidly for u? capital cost. Alternate prices were requested for plant for the Remuera sub-station eoa. sisting of rotary converters and mercuri arc rectifiers. The latter plant was m high in cost, however, that it was placed beyond consideration. The tender of the British Thomson-Houston Co. for the supply of converters at a cost of £4812 was accepted. The specifications were similar in the case of the Point Chevalier sub-station, and rotary converters were again decided upon. The successful tenderers were the British General Electric Co., and the contract «rice £8282. " Supply of Switch Gear. Five firms tendered for the 6upply 0 { 6600 volts switch gear for the Epsom sub. station, and the contract went to tie * lowest tenderers, the English Electric Co.,' whose price was £2895. Tfo Metropolitan Vickers Co. were selected to supply 22,000 volts switch gear for £10,264, and supervisory control equip, ment to the value of £2682. The plant for the latter equipment was the beet offering in the opini6n of the board's experts, and ie in operation in many systems throughout the world. An item of £172 was added to the tender for interposing relays, which provide a medium between the supervisory relays and the actual machine circuit breakers, to permit of the necessary large qir« rente being used in their operation. The chairman *(Mr. W. J. Holdswortli)' said £hat the tendering was very fine throughout, and many of the beet firme had participated in it. In the aggregate the equipment would cost £9300 less than the estimated total. Mr. E. H. Potter: Could any of this equipment be used in connection with the electrification of the suburban tramway lines? Mr. Bartley pointed out that the plans were laid out with that object, particularly in the case of Point Chevalier. There would be no difficulty in feeding plant for Hie tramways from any of the gear ordered.