OTAGO POWER BOARD

Evening Star, Issue 19892, 14 June 1928, Page 11

OTAGO POWER BOARD

MONTHLY MEETING The monthly- meeting of the Otago Power Board was held yesterday afternoon, when: there .were present Messrs W. lit; Callaway (chairman), H. M. Driver, P. Briscoe, F., Carson, J. it. Simpson, D. Boyd, and J. Guest. GENERAL. A remit , from -the Otago Central Power Board, which will bo brought before the annual conference of power boards, in Wellington, was placed before the meeting.'The remit read—” That the establishnient of a depreciation fund in terms of section 20 of the Electric Power Boards’ Amendment Act, 1927, bo not made compulsory until April of the seventh year after the commencement of supply.” 'The reasons in support of the remit were that recently formed boards were under a disadvantage, ;in that older, boards had been operating, for a, number of years without having to niake this provision, and that, now after a number of years of operation they -word .in a position to make the appropriations, whereas recently formed boards must provide such a sum at the commencement of their operations; The remit would obviate this injustice.—Mr Boyd moved that the chairman be instructed to support this remit, and that a copy of the resolution .be sent-to tho five county councils concerned-asking for their support. Mr Briscoe seconder! the motion, and it was carried. Mr R. J. E. Smith, Wcdderburn, wrote stating that at a meeting of the Maniototo branch of tho New Zealand Farmers’ Union he was instructed to ask what steps the board were taking with regard to tho supply of electric light to Central Otago from Middlemarch to Wedderburn.—Tho engineermanager was instructed to reply. Tim Engineer-Manager of tho Waitaki Electric Power Board wrote regarding tho supply of electric current to residents of Shag Point, and advising that tho matter had been considered by bis board, and it was agreed to allow the Otago Board to give the supply to residents adjacent to the Otago Board’s lines in the Waitaki area until such time as the Waitaki Board should themselves desire to take over tho supply concerned. To avoid any possible objections in tho future it was thought desirable to charge Waitaki rates, but the Waitaki Board did not desire to tie the Otago Board’s hands in the matter.—The matter was left in the bands of the engineer-manager. WORKS COMMITTEE. The report of the Works Committee stated :-jrMain'Transmission Lines.—No interruptions ol a serious nature bad taken place during the month. The southern lines, were all in good order, while every opportunity Ijad been taken advantage of to continue tho renewal of insulators on. the 11,000-volt line in the north.

Distribution.—ln the Balclntha district 2,102 polos and 202 miles ot wire had been erected to date. Ibis gang, which had been reduced by throe men, had been, employed on the lowtension in Balclutlia, where the lines had been circled in order to maintain normal voltage, and were at present erecting extra street lamps in Kaitangata. In the Milton district 1,671) poles and 204 miles ot wire had been erected to date. This gang had been employed on 6,000-volt alterations, and necessary low tension in the, district, and in connecting np consumers on the Adam’s Flat line; they were at present, effecting repairs on- the 3,000 volt lino at Berwick. In the Law-rence-Waitahijna district 512 poles and ninety-live miles ot wire had been erected to date. This gang bad been employed on railway crossings on the Beaumont linos, and erecting transtoimcrs at Manuka; they were at present working on the line to Crowleys at Evan's Flat. In the Waitati-Sea-elid district 814 poles and oighty-ono milec of wire bad boon creeled to date. This gang had heon employed in carting j-.ole.s_, effecting repairs to |owlension lines at Purukanui and Kantanc; repairing earths throughout the district, and on tho renewal of 11,01 H) volt, insulators. In Hie PalmerstonWaikonaiti district 1,642 poles and .182 miles ol wire had been erected to dato. Necessary alterations to sub-station and low-tension lines at Dun back had been carried out, and tho trees on Mr Payne’s property cut and the property cleared, Tho main sub-station at Palmerston had been reinforced in preparation for new transformers. This gang had also been occupied on insulator renewals on the, main lino. Contractor’s Work.—The board's contractor had completed the lino to Mr King at Hillcml, and was at present employed on erecting the Summerhill line at Kaitangata. Interruption.—On , Friday. Juno S, owing to an overload on the Waipon generating station, the power was cut oIT from the board’s southern area when but one minute’s notice had been given to tho, Milton linesman, Naturally such an occurrence caused undue annoyance and expense to some ot the larger consumers, Mr Moore, of tho Bruce Woollen Mills, and Mr Mackersey, of the Milburn Lime and Cement Co,, asked that some consideration bo extended to thorn, Mr Nicholson, ol the South Otago Freezing Works, had forwarded a complaint. Though there might be mitigating circumstances, there was no doubt that this act in itself was an infringement of danse 4 of the board’s agreement with the' city; consequently, the board’s solicitor was interviewed, and he had forwarded a letter, to which as yet no reply had boon received. Supply was restorer! to the board's area after an interval ot twenty minutes. As a result of this overloading the city engineers approached the engineer (Mr Collins) to see if tho board could assist in curtailing the load for the remainder ol Friday, also between 11 and noon on Saturday morning, ami between tho hours of 11 a.m, to noon and 4 p.m. to 5 p.m. throughout this week, so that the demand on the station would not again become excessive, The board’s chief consumers had given most generous assistance, and it had met tho city’s request by having the load reduced some 300 h.p. during these critical periods, even though such assistance was directly -contrary to the board’s interests while the city’s method of _ charging foi supply continues to exist in its present form. The engineer also stressed the fact that the board had acceded to tho request, oven though the agreement gave it the right to_ refuse such a request until such a time as .the load on the station was approximately 50 nor cent, greater than it was to-da.Y- Surely, tho position that had- arisen must justify his contention that the city’s method of charging was unfair; and, moreover, the board's willing assistance in time of trouble should surely servo as an incentive to the Electric Power and Bight Committee of the City Corpora tion to give some consideration to his continued appeals for relief from their method of charging. Genera].—The timb had arrived when it would be advisable to shift the present store from Balclulha to Stirling, and dispose of the section at, present belonging to the board in Balclntha It had been pointed out that at present the board bad no cover for transport at Waitati. nor storage space for goods in any quantity. This- was a serious handicap, and required consideration. In moving the adoption of the report, Mr Boyd said there was one matter that ho'felt impelled to comment upon, and that was the unsatisfactory state of affairs existing between the board and the City Corporation. It seemed to him that the position which had arisen must be unsatisfactory to the city electrical engineer himself, otherwise he would have approached Mr Collins in search of relief belore he did; and now that he had asked for

relief ho thought that the City Council must give .some consideration to the request for arbitration on the point it they wished their own ratepayers and the ratepayers of. Otago to consider them a body of fair-dealing men. In seconding the motion, Mr Briscoe said that he also would like to remark on a slightly different phase of the situation Mr Boyd discussed. Mr Collins had assured the board .that clause 15 of tho agreement gave it a perfect right to refuse Mr Henderson’s request for relief. That being so, there could he no barm in calling the city's attention to the considerate assistance, the board had extended them at a critical time, and to suggest that like treatment to tho board would not be out of place. Tho report was adopted. FINANCE. Accounts amounting to £2,531 3s lid were passed for payment.