POWER SUPPLIES

Gisborne Herald, Volume LXVIII, Issue 20493, 1 March 1941, Page 8

POWER SUPPLIES

SPECIAL CONFERENCE COAL OUTPUT INQUIRY P.B. BOARD’S DELEGATE The Foverly Bay Electric-Power Board will be represented at a special conference to be held in Palmerston North on March G to discuss co-ordin-ated action to be taken in the event of ru Honing of power having to be resorted to during the coming whiter.

The board held its monthly meeting yesterday and power supplies from national and district sources was one of the principal topics. Those present Were Messrs. F. R. Ball, chairman, H. H. De Costa. Chas. Matthews, A. A. Fraser, C. W. Izod, J. H. Flail. G. D. Muirhead, W. G. Sherratt, M. T. Trafford, B. J. Holdsworth, and C. E. Mills, with the managing secretary. Mr. R, P. Baigent. and the engineer, Mr. F. Matthewson, also in attendance.

A report of the recent deputation to the Minister of Mines, on behalf of the power authorities operating steam generating plants for electrical supply augmentation, was furnished in a fetter from the Power Boards’ Association. The association advised that if coal supplies were insufficient to keep the steam-generating plants in operation—the position being at present uncertain —some system of rationing of power might be necessary in the North Island. Co-ordination of Flans A further letter advised that a proposal had been made for an emergency conference to discuss the possibility of power rationing and coordination of plans in the event of this necessity arising. The chairman asked for the boards’ approval of his attendance at the conference, and for the executive officers to accompany him. The approval was granted. , The disposal of surplus funds raised in connection with the Centennial Exhibition display last year was the subject of a letter from the Power Boards’ Association, which stated that several hundred pounds was available for return, pro rata, to the contributors. 'lt was suggested that an alternative to the redistribution of the j,honey would be its presentation to tile national patriotic funds.—-The board decided to claim its quota of the surplus, and to hand it to the district patriotic funds. Light Fo/’ Home Guards Mr. W. G. Sherratt asked whether the board could do anything in the Way of providing lighting for the Home Guard training purposes on country parade grounds.--The board deferred consideration until after the forthcoming special conference, at Which delegate's' will gather information as to what boards in other districts are doing to aid the Home Guard.

The report of the managing secretary, Mr. R. P. Baigent, stated that electricity sales for the 10 months ended January 31 were £63,186, as against last year’s £58,261 for. the tS&me period. lighting revenue was £22;310 (£21,876 last year); heating and cooking, £24,492 (£21,786); waterlie.at.ing. £8403 (£7417); and power, £7981 (£7200). The engineer, Mr. F. Matthewson, reported that the maximum halfhourly demand on the Public Works Department for January Was 3186 k.v.a., an increase of 13.3 per cent The maximum half-hourly' demand oh the hoard’s q.wh system .was 3509 k.v.a., an increase of i;59 per cent; the consumption of units being J;639,860, as against 1,628,340.