POWER SUPPLY

Gisborne Herald, Volume LXVIII, Issue 20601, 31 October 1941, Page 6

POWER SUPPLY

HALF-YEAR SURPLUS REVENUE HOLDING UP P.B. BOARD'S MEETING Black-out precautions and Hie results of official advice to the public to conserve electric-power must have affected the general use of electricity to some extent during the past halfyear, but not so much, in the case of Gisborne district consumers, as to prevent the general rise in revenue Continuing.

The report submitted to the Poverty Bay Electric-Power board to-day showed that revenue from electricity sales totalled £44,242. pfslight increase on that of the first half of last year, while general revenue exceeded the expenditure by £438 for the halfyear.

Those present were Messrs. F. R. Ball, chairman. A. A. Fraser, C. W. Izod, J. H. Hall, W. G. Sherratt. M. T. Traflord, H. Telford, H. H. De Costa, and F. Tolerton. Leave of absence was granted to Messrs Chas. Matthews, B. J. HoidsworUi and. J. E*. Benson.

The Electricity Controller forwarded advice as to the best means of securing electrical equipment from the United States, the United Kingdom being no longer able to supply large quantities of such appliances. The normal trade channels would be available, but in addition to this a further channel was being opened through the British Purchasing Commission in the United States. A further letter indicated, however, that the arrangement between the British Government and the Government of the United States was still subject to confirmation, and that for the present orders could not be forwarded.

The board adopted a recommendation from its executive officers that when the official channel was opened, three transformers of a specified capacity should be ordered. Daylight-Saving Proposals

The Power Boards’ Association wrote stating the position in regard to daylight-saving proposals, on which correspondence had taken place earlier as a result of Mr. R. McKeen, M.P., having been reported as stating that power boards throughout the country were in favour of an extension of the summer time provisions. The association stated that Mr. McKeen had been advised that no policy had been evolved by the association, though individual boards had made their views known.

The managing-secretary, Mr. R. P. Baigent, reported on revenue for the six months to September 30 as follows: Lighting. £14,538 <1940-41, £16,200); heating and cooking, £16,319 (£15,444); power, £5496 (£4944); bulk supply, £613 ( —); total revenue from sales, £44,242 (£44,094). The total sales-for the. six months represented 10,155,103 units, an increase of 358,818 units on last .year, and the average revenue per unit was 1.04 d, a decrease of ,04d on the figure for 1940-41. The half-year’s general operations were reported on by Mr. Baigent, the statement showing that revenue apart from sales of electricity was £Bl9, as against £822 last year,, the total revenue being £45,06i, compared with £44,916 last year. Expenditure under’ various headings was as follows: Power from the Public Works Department, £14,288 (1940-41, £13,112); generation costs, £2024 (£2365); distribution costs, £7655 (£6714): administration, £4710 (£4601); capital charges, £15,946 (£16,086); total, £44,623 (£42,876). The accounts showed a surplus of £438 for the half-year, as against £2040 for the same half of last financial year.

The board's engineer, Mr. F. Matthewson, reported that the maximum half-hourly demand on the Public Works Department for September was 3480 k.v.a., an increase of 309 k.v.a, over the peak for September, 1940; the maximum half-hourly demand on the board’s own system was 3592 k.v.a., as against 3778 k.v.a., the decrease representing 4.92 per cent. Units sold for the month totalled 1,768,310, of which only 970 units were generated by the board's standby plant.