GREY POWER BOARD

Grey River Argus, 19 February 1943, Page 6

GREY POWER BOARD

Mr W. Clayton presided over the monthly meeting or -the Grey Fower Board on Wednesday evening. Those present were Messrs J. Mulcare J. Smeaton, J. UnvVin, J. B Kent W. E. Pnng', <W. Fisher, W. S. McClymot (Secretary-Treasurer), and Sinclair Tro.tter (Engineer)' It was decided to have the *7OOO loan money available on April 1, instead of on March 1 a nr . io tv The Greymouth Plunket Society wrote asking for a donation, and it was decided to send £5 ss. An application from the Biunner Borough Council for another street light in the vicinity of Maitai Street and Main Road, Dobson, was granted. The Finance Committee reported that accounts totalling £1873 0s Id had been passed for P a >M e ,•, ,fl statement of bad and doubtful debts amounting t 0 £386 7s had been tabled but of this sum more than £3OO nau been reserved as doubtful in previous years. Only about-, a couple of dozen were for sums of more than tl. The report of'the Secretary-Treas-urer (Mr. W.. ; -S'UMcClymont) stated: The Power Boards Fund account bank balance is £55 os!4d. During January only the large power consumers and one or two groups of meters were read, as is the Board’s usual custom over the holidayJperiod. The large power accounts are oeing kept well up-to-date. Fivfe consumers owe more than the current month s readings, but I think all will be up-to-date by the Board’s meeting date. The Chairman, on behalf oi the committee set up to report on rehabilitation projects, said that the committee had not yet completed its • work. There were a lot of things “that could be standardised and cheapened. Washing machines were one I example. The Secretary would be I visiting Wellington soon and would ’bring the matter before the executive there. Mr Kent said that private enterprise had such a stranglehold that it would be difficult to do much about In reply to a question from Mr. Smeaton as to why the Power Board had not been represented at the rehabilitation Conference, the Chairman said that it had not been invited. This was evidently an oversight, as the Mayor did not do things of that sort. . The Engineer (Mr. Sinclair Trotter) in his report for the period January 21 to February 9 stated: The outside staff have been engaged mainly'on maintenance of 11,000 and 400/ 240 volt lines and, also maintenance of the street lighting system in connection with the restoration of lighting Some titemsformer routine maintenance has been done and the transformer. stations in the country have been increased in capacity to deal with the growth of the load Since last meeting, eight new applications for power have been received and permits issued. Ten new consumers have been connected. Four consumers have had meters removed and installations disconnected. Applications now total 5206 and consumers 5188. Loads continue to be high but slightfly below the previous quarter. The load for the month is: Light. 5.700 k.w.’ heat and iron, 4.200 k.w.; water 1 heat’ : power. 25.00 h.p.; cooking ’2.500 k.w. The total , load for the’ month is 31.040 k.w. The load at the last meeting was 28703.810 k w making a grand total of 28,784.850 k.w.'