ELECTRIC POWER BOARDS.

Press, Volume LVIII, Issue 17610, 13 November 1922, Page 3

ELECTRIC POWER BOARDS.

, -■ 4 ■ ■ PENINSULA. At the monthly mooting of the Banks Peninsula Power Board there were present— Htears J. R. Thackor (chairman), Geo. Armstrong, J. E. Fleming, J. V. Chapman, J. D. Bruce, and J. it. Templin (consulting' engineer). ' The report of the resident engineer (Mr F. LeWthwaite) was reoeived and adopted. It stated that 231 poles had- bden erected during the month, thus completing Little Akaloa and Chorlton sections. There now remained only the Port Levy aird Menzies Bay lines. • The erecting contractors had stopped work ibr several days as a prote&t. They complained of thb size of Bome of the poles, and considered that some' concession- should certainly be mode by the Board in respect to erection of poles in difficult and rocky coun- A try about Little Akaloa, Chorlton, end Menties Bay. He ihad managed to induce them to carry oh ponding a consideration of their oomplaiiits at next meeting of the Board. The distributing gang had finished Little Akaloa, and were now busy at Port -Levy. "Poles at Teddington a.nd Purau would be shifted to Port Levy as. soon as possible. r At present there would be a shortage of about 180 Soft poles for the Port Levy section. Hs had seen a sufficient number of suitable trees in the bay for the purpose, I provided arrangements could be made with the owners. No. 1 gang had just about fhiish- [ ed the lines on the outskirts of Akaroa Borough.' The Grehan Valley line was ready I for inspection. No. 2 gang was still busy/ ■ m Little, Akaloa, there remaining to be wired only the section between the factory and Ohotlfon and Meiuieß Bay. These lines should be. ready for inspection within another week. All_ consumers in the Le Bon's Bay and Wainui sections been connected. The total oh the Peninsula> was how 485. The report added that all the poles had been hud out to the Summit on the way to' Port-Levy, and the erection gang was busy in Mlanziea Bay, whore practically all necessary material ,was to hand. Mr Templin suggested that Bamples of macrocarpa, wood should be pent to the. P.W.D. fcr testing for textile etrenph. Canterbury College would mako tie tests, and the information go gained' would bo very useful. He furthor .advised that, after the erection was completed, the Board should i experiment with tarring the poles. I Numerous complaints Were received in re- : epect to inconvenience 'and loss caused to 1 consumers by the current being off. Ons consumer reported that-it had been off 14 times in .tfie month on his line. The resident engineer* stated that to far the inter- ! niptions had been on P.W.D. lines. Mr Chapman, in speaking on. the subject, considered that the P.W.D. Should be asked to put oh current before 4 o'clock -when current was cut off for the milking plants. Offers of poles from Messrs Armstrong Bros., F. C. Newton, A. M. Helps, and H. Rhodos w«re received; and accepted with thanks. Mr \V. Bobinaoli, Okdih's Bay, wrote drawing attention to-the fact that the reading of meters ever second or third month, es the case might be, was unfair to consumers using a /airly large amount of current each month. He thought tliatr, if tlie thteo. winter months, for instance, were taken atjone reading, there would be little room for complaint. In the discussion that followed, Mr Templin oaid it would be impossible to read the meters taonthly Except in Akaroa. He thought, however, it might still be. possible to cut down their minimum rate. Mr D. Griffith wrote on behalf of the pole erection gang, asking l for some compensation in respect to loss of time occasioned bv their hiving to wait for the delivery of poles. The gang had been held up seven times. Had the number of poles per month been on the line, the job would have paid them, but. as it was, the men were barely making & living from it. He referred also to the rough, difficult country they hid to work over. After some discussion, during which credit was given to the men for excellent work done, it ifaa resolved, on the motion of Mr Bruco, that the chairman and the resident engineer inspect this Menzies Bay line and discuss the matter generally with the men, ahd report to nest meeting. It was decided to issue debentures for another £SOOO of the loan money.. The chairman reported that the actingMayor of Akaroa-, Mr P. K. Davis, had informed him that if he waited on the Council, the latter body would intimate it did not intend to appeal against the, decision of the Supreme Court over the Bale of the borough plant. It was decided to take no action in the matter. It was refeolv-ed to enforce tsho 10 per cent, pn all accounts for curtent not paid witlliji the fourteen days' limit. " TIhS secretary stated tli&t he had received copies of the terms oh which the Christchurch City Council and the Southland Power Board put in installations for consumers. Mr Templin stated that if the Board could lend taoney for such purposes it would be an advantage, as by April next it ,would have to live on its revenue. The Pelliiisula PoWSr Board the only. one ho knew 'of where hoiise instillations had been mad? without assistance, aad'considering the comparatively 'hard times," this was indeed creditable. Artec further discuseion it was eventually resolved that the Board advance the cost of installations of motors on the hire-purchase system, provided the consumers paid 20 per cent, down <md the balance in four six-month-ly. payments of ■2O per cent, of tho cost, interest at 7§ per oent. per annum.