REPRESENTATION ON GREY POWER BOARD: DEPARTMENT’S VIEW

Greymouth Evening Star, 15 November 1947, Page 3

REPRESENTATION ON GREY POWER BOARD: DEPARTMENT’S VIEW

No alternative proposal to that suggesting that the present system of representation for the Grey-Inanga-hua counties on the ... Grey Power Board be changed to give Inangahua one member and the Grey County two, was advanced by the State Hy-dro-electric Department in a letter received by the board last evening. The_ department indicated that, on an analysis of the statistics supplied and excluding the question of rates, the suggestion for the separation of the two counties must be retained, unless it was decided that the Runanga and Brunner boroughs should not retain the representatives, to which, on a population basis, they were not entitled. “I don’t think we need worry about it,” commented the acting-chairman, Mr W. Clayton, as the letter was received. Poles for the extension of power to Rotomanu and Poerua districts had been transported to the job and other materials had been assembled preparatory to the commencement of construction, stated the engineer, Mr W. S. Trotter, in his report. Cable had arrived for the high tension line, he said, and work should commence shortly. The outside staff had been engaged on general maintenance at Nelson Creek, Blackball, Roa and Atarau on 11,000 volt lines and on low tension lines at Kaiata, Cobden and Rotomanu and Blackball, the report continued. A new transformer structure had been erected at Taylorville and a larger capacity transformer installed there. The 'annual inspection of transformers and earth testing was proceeding. Since the last meeting 13 new applications for power had been received and permits issued. Eight new consumers had been connected. Applications totalled 5666 and consumers 5600. A total of 35 permits had been issued for extension to existing installations, ®43 extensions

completed, and 11 ranges and 11 water heaters installed. The load at thelast meeting was 35199.930 k.w., the load’ for the month was 212.550 and the total was 35412,480 k.w. “With the maturing of a fixed deposit of .£7OOO odd, the overdraft at the Bank of New Zealand has been reduced to £3,713 7s Id, despite the fact that the quarterly power account of over £ll,OOO had just been met,” stated the report of the secretary, Mr W. S. McClymont. “Ranges continue to be sold under the Board’s financial assistance scheme and the amount still owing by consumers is £3,185 14s 6d. Large power accounts are in order. Fairly good results have been obtained from the efforts to collect the outstanding debts taken over, by the bbdrd from the Reefton-Elec-tric Light and Power Co. The figure at November 11, 1946 was £1261, of which there is still outstanding £.393 'l9s. The meters read in October were those of Greymouth and part of the country and the readings revealed a revenue of £12,027 4s 5d.”