MALVERN POWER BOARD

Press, Volume XCIII, Issue 28008, 30 June 1956, Page 13

MALVERN POWER BOARD

CHAIRMAN REVIEWS YEAR’S WORK SHORTAGE OF WORKERS CAUSES DIFFICULTIES Difficulties which had been experienced towards the end of the vear because of a shortage of lines workers were described by the chairman of the Malvern Electric Power Board (Mr W. H. Faulkner) reviewing the board’s work for the year. Local men had taken up other employment and, as housing was not available for replacements, progress on all categories of lines work slowed down, said Mr Faulkner. In an f“ ort . to improve the position, the board was building two new staff dwellings, but it would be some time before they were ready, and new employees would have to be trained. It was the board’s intention to begin work on rural extensions ouring the year, and farmers’ assistance on these new lines would be essential. Engineer-Secretary’s Report

The engineer-secretary (Mr B. J. Harris) in his annual report stated that the route miles of line had increased from 292 to 302. Not all of this increase consisted of extensions consumers, as gaps between some reconstructed branch lines had been filled to provide facilities needed when the distribution system is altered from 6600 to 11,000 volts. Consumers supplied by the board increased from 1233 to 1261 during the year, and fixed-wired electric ranges increased from 325 to 365. As electricity restrictions were not effective until towards the end of March, the purchase of energy from the State Hydro-electric Department was 16 per cent, above that for 195455. Although the ratio of ranges and water heaters to domestic consumers was still low, the average consumption per consumer had risen by 10 per cent. Mr Harris reported that revenue from the sale of electricity was £33.000 and the subsidy received from the Rural Electrical Reticulation Council was £1512. Expenditure on new construction or major renewals was less than anticipated. Of the surplus of £BO9B, £7961 was reinvested in the board’s distribution system, including transformers needed for the voltage conversion project. On March 31, 1956, the boards’ outstanding loans amounted to £88,694.