POWER BOARD.

Press, Volume LXI, Issue 18488, 16 September 1925, Page 6

POWER BOARD.

SPRINGSELLESMERE. MONTHLY MEETING. Tha monthly meeting of tho SpringsElleamero Electric Power Board was held at Leeston on Monday, thoro being present— Messrs J. Cunningham (chairman), J. W. Kime, E. 71. Rowoll, J. S. Simpson, J. A. Henloy, G. Maginnesa, A. E. Langdalo Hunt, J. W. Kingan, H. Neave, R. T. McMillan, and J. C. Free. The secretary reported that a new car had been purchased for tho Hietor-reader. The motor-cycle previously used by : him had been sent to the Paparua foreman. Good business in electrical appliancca had been done since tho Board had commenced trade. A cooking demonstration had been arranged to be given in tho near future. The engineer's report stated that a further effort had been made to get additional guarantees for the Lne, which, now amounted to £43 13s short of the guarantee required at 12£ per cent., with the probability of two more consumers coming in. Regarding tho West Melton and Halkett line, £374 had been promised out of the £483 required, but eomo of these guarantors wore not on tho proposed route, and rhi3 would mean a further amount of capital expenditure, unles3 tho proposed route was altered from, the Main. South road. Tho signed applications amounted. to £lB9 from 23 consumers. A further £257 was otill to be. obtained. Several consumers on Church road, Temploton, wore asking for supply. It was questionable whether it would be a. better proposition, to take- tho line to West Moltor., via Church Toad, Maddison's road, and Weedons-Rcsa road. A anclher 17 consumera would be picked up along this route, which would bring in an additional revenue of £174. Several, applications for current had been received from Uunsandel. Tho estimated oosj; of tho line to supply was £242, and the revenue, required at 12£ per cent, amounted to £3O Sa, or .CIS 3s 6d per annum, which they wcio prepared to guarantee. New Linos. A motion that the Yaldhurat line, referred to in the engineer's report, should be proceeded with, although the required guarantees were not complete, was proposed. Mr Neave said tho Board had a resolution on its minute book that no' further lines were to bo erected until the 124 per cent. guarantee on tho cost of erection wae assured. The Panama members thought that the guarantees would reach tho required number shortly. . Mr Maginnesa eaid the holding up of this line would probably mean tho striking of a rate next year to make up tho deficiency in revenue in the Paparua area. Ho was anxious to avoid the striking of a rate. The. motion was carried. Mr Hunt reported that about 60 consumers had attended a meeting •at West Melton, at which tho engineer had explained the route which lie had followed to giv© snpply. Tho estimate for the work was £3861 Wo 6d, and the income required £483 Is Gd, which meant that GO consumers were required to pay approximately £8 per annum. A list had been taken of these proeent who were prepared to giro gua.ran.tees, which included sums of £2d, £l3, £l2, £lO, and £S. Since the meeting, tho engineer and secretary had been obtaining signatures to application fonn3. Mr Hunt added that ho would like tho engineer to go over the line again, with a view to ascertaining whether it would, bo advisable to run the line over a different route. • . Mr Maginnesa favoured taking tho Maddison'o road rou'to, aa there wero prospects of securing bigger business. Mr Hunt suggested taking the Churcn road route to reach West' Melton, instead of tho Main South road, and that tho engineer should go over the proposed new route, and consider whether this would be a bettor proposition than the one previously suggested. Tha engineer oaid his idea waa ultimately to join up the line proposed with the Buraham line, and thereby make one maximum demand for the whole district. At present there were two points of supply. The saving effected would probably run into about £GOO per annum. A motion that the engineer should take into consideration the question of reaching West Melton via Church end Maddiaona roads was carried. .-x„4^i Messrs Hunt and Henley were constituted a committee to confer with the engineer at tho earliest- opportunity regarding the route to be followed, the law '<? *> JJ 1 ?- c.eoded with immediately the required £uaiaritees wero forthcoming. . Mr Henley reported that the turmng-on of thrcumnt at Stand's track n J*£ been performed last week tho 17 ■peine held at the Broadfield schoolroom. InwV to Mr Maginnew, the engineer said Sat the Buchanan's road line could be eone on with immediately. It g waa decided to put the work *.hand, when the gumntecs forthcoming, and interested parties to obUun guarantees. Interrupted Service. ™ . „*-o i. list of complaints. The engineer ga.e a received Irom Greenpsrk and people of interrupted "> n "*- th .?£ h Zv Lund JK«»» £^ 6 fault of tho JY d f. at EMtUm swans flying into -n- » dwvd Valley. Several a*** %*£&£* Motuunder tho wirefl. B»£ i W Bal)i3 torara .*« °™*££iill*mcr<» Power Peninsula and i>pna M Boards, which was affected fault on the bn«> r6Com mend **"*> road,, ? at * }"" io »"» th * ** Spnngaton, Banks Peninsula. trie* independent ? ftoni t The net cost £f \ saving in this there of having the cost « currenx. ra£a m3J imwa a separate 6npply^ til ,^ M^ nks Peninsula demand charge from ke Spriags , Bo6rd ' thi3 £ be felt. EUesmero andP^Tf he chairman, eecreIt was •«»^ th XJS L take up with the tary, and Board the matter of Banks share of the the Spriogs-Elieeniere sub-station, value of.plw* *J&£? refund, so that with a view o-<**£■?& 6Xtpv ly <x> Greenthe Board could by perk in t&a engineer. ™„,vtcd having n: tended The h ' o»W alonj a meeting <* **"!£ when the with the eeczetery tad «*•*""

matter or running ra ujib w ujo uu.»> had been fully gone into. Tho hut owners had urdertaken . to obtain the requisite number of signatures, but -up to the present the number had not been secured. The Board required - a revenue of £l3O from the hut owner*. It was decided to run the line ar tar as Mr J. P. McEvedyVt farm, provided the farmers along the way would give nn undertaking to find a revenue of £7O per annum. The extension to the Huts '■ is to bo held up pending receipt of the revenue guarantee aaked for. Mr W. H. Parkin, Leeston, wrote complaining that !the service to his place was not. satisfactory. The engineer eaid that Mr Parkin's place was at lie end of tho lino and that tho voltage .was too-low. The present wire, required replacing by copper wire of larger gauge. He proposed to h&vo this done. Finance. The chairman of th© Finance Committee reported that tho credit balances were:— No'. 1 loan account, £1340 19s 7d; No. 2 loan account, £149 0s 3d; No. 3. loan account, £2179 13s sd; power fund account, debit balance of £236 2b 7d. Since i.he statement had been prepared the debit had been changed into a credit, but the acoounte for payment, totalling £1731 13s 6d, would place the fund account in debit again. A consumer asked for a reduction in the cost of current supplied for, water heating at night The Board decided to install a time switch, to ascertain the cost of heating during the night hours, when the current was cheap, before going further into the charges fixed in the schedule. Replvinsr to a letter from the Board suggesting that the I>unsandel, Leeston, and Southbridge railway stationa should be connected up with the electric mains, th© Minister of Railways stated that bo was having enquiries made and would communicate with the Board later. Mr Magmnesa asked for in erpresiiw of opinion as to whether it would be advisable to erect the poles and lines for. tho Yaldhurst extension by contract, in view of the fact that the Board's own i-taff had a considerable amount of work in hand. • The engineer said h© was not opposed to the erection of transmission lines by contract, but it would be out of the question to erect service lines by that method. It was agreed to have the r.-ork done by contract, as by this method it would be speeded up. ' A committee was appointed to accept tenders. It was also decided to erect the wiring to West Melton by contract. Tho Paparua County, Council complained that street lights in tie county had been giving trouble- The engineer said tho solution of the difficulty was to put tho street lights on the series system, as had been done at Leeston. He would have this carried out at the earliest opportunity. Cost of Current. Mr G. Magirmose, referring to an item of £649 4$ on the accounts, being a payment to the Government for current purchased wholesale, said he thought it tone an agitation was started to Secure current at a lower rate. The Board was paying £lO per kilowatt for the first 200 kilowatts and £8 per kilowatt for all over that quantity. The Board could obtain its supply through the Cnristchurch City Council at a cheaper rate than from. the Government, which supplied the Council in the first place. Tho chairman eaid that the Board' 3 contract with tho Government did' not expire until M»rch, 1927. They should find out if a better arrangement could not bo made when the existing contract expired. When the City Council reached a certain load it could buy at about £5 per kilnwatt, as against £lO paid by the Board. The' Board's consumers had a sufficiently high burden to bear in the higher coat of distributing current in a country district as against tho cost of distributing in the city. It was decided to convene a meeting of representatives of the Peninsula, Malvern, North Canterbury, and Springa-Ellcemere Boards to consider the wiolo matter of current costs, after obtaining information as to the rates which other bodies were paying the Government for current. Messrs Kimo and Mafrimiess were appointed to represent Springs-EllesmeTo at the meeting.