HIGH TENSION WIRES

Evening Post, Volume CXIII, Issue 86, 12 April 1927, Page 10

HIGH TENSION WIRES

A SERIOUS MATTER

TRIMMING OF TREES

(By Telegraph.) (Special to "The Evening Post.")

PALMERSTON N., This Day

The cost of keeping our linos clear of brunches, and trees is becoming far too big on item of expense, reported Mr, W. A. Waters, engineer to the Manawatu Power Board, yesterday. We have had a gang on tlie work for two months doing nothing else, but getting linos clear, as tho service has grown so important that interruption must bo kept to a minimum, to say nothing of the overtime cost of repairs and big expense of losing transformers. While in general, the big majority of people realise this and help us willingly in the mutter, we are now lncuting with obstruction from certain persons, who rot'uac to trim and top tho trees where they are a menace, and have defied us to exercise our right of removing trees as laid down in the Power Boards Act. The matter of getting lines smashed and transformers .burnt out is not only a serious one for us, but a menace to life in case a wire is left alive on the ground under certain conditions.

"What the Board miisl do, is to take a firm stand in the mutter, as there is tho question of negligence jn t-asc somebody is killed. If an owner refuses to trim or cut trees after we serve a notice on him, and refuses to let us do it, then in case of accident to lives or to life, the owner must be liable for subsequent damages. What we object to is in case of accidents due to trees through obstruction of owners, that the staff of this board arc not going to be saddled with negligence in permitting dangerous trees to remain in proximity to the lines, when obstruction is met with in gcttng them cut."

'"The trees uro not being cut down if it is possible to spurc them." stated tho cliiiirmuji, Mr. J. A. Nash, M.P., "but the trouble is that once they are trimmed they must be kept trimmed—which in many cnBCH. those on whose property the trees are will not do." As Mr. Waters had said, the only thing to do seemed to be that the offending trees should be cut right down. The matter is a serious one, serious from the public's point of view and both that and important an far as the board is concerned."

The engineer stated that in many oases fanners considered it dangerous for them to climb the trees with the object of trimming them.

Mr. P. J. Small:. "Often v milo o r more of road is endangered bcciuiHc of one or two people who will not trim their trees.

i Ml"; ?' Yr Avhon snggcKlcd thut the board should muke a test cam>, mul summons an offender.

Mr. ,T fe 'limpy: '•H, iB anyone objected to the hoard's- men going on to their property with the object of trimming the trees.' It seemed to him that the easiest way out of the difficulty was to cut tio tree down, lie considered an action should be tnken.

iho engineer inquired as to what the board s policy would be, and at this stage the meeting went into committee. It was eventually resolved that a remit should be sent the Power Boards' Conference on the matter.