NO VISIT OF RETICULATION COUNCIL

Grey River Argus, 24 April 1948, Page 3

NO VISIT OF RETICULATION COUNCIL

Grey Power Board Disappointed

Advice was received last evening from the Rural Electrical Reticulation Council at the meeting of the Grey Electric Rower Board,' that they would meet Board members at Reefton at about noon on next Thursday. From there they were to proceed to Hanmer fcr dinner. Present were Messrs L. N. Downes (chairman), T. Ryan, A. L. McKay, J. E. Stokes, W. E. Pring, A. Popp, W. McGilchrist, W. Clayton, W. S. McClymont (secretary), and S. Trotter (engineer). The Council’s letter stated that it was not the intention to visit South Westland. It was intended to visit areas which had not applied for the Council subsidy. Time would not permit inspection of all Power Board areas.

The chairman said he was disappointed, as the Board had not applied for a subsidy under the scheme. The Council had visited Westport, where there was no Power Board in operation.

Mr Pring: Couldn’t they have'gone to see the Waiho as well as Hanmer Springs? Mr Ryan said that he had nursed hopes that the Council would view the Inchbonnie project. It was decided Messrs Pring,. Stokes, Ryan, Clayton, McGilchrist, Topp, the chairman and others who could so arrange, should interview the Council at Reefton and discuss power matters with them.

Mr Clayton asked the engineer how many people in Reefton were still connected to the old supply system. Mr Trotter said that only five consumers remained on the old system, and these would be connected ■with the new supply in the near future. The secretary reported: The Power Fund account bank balance has recovered from the heavy 31st Plarch payments for interest, sinking fund, etc., and now stands at £6520 5s 4d overdraft. It will, however, be overdrawn after payment of the quarterly account for power, which is again a record, £12,119 15s. March meterreadings in Greymouth borough (Group “A”) Runanga borough and the northern coastal strip (Group “C”) produced with the monthly large power readings a revenue of £9913 4s 7d. Financial assistance accounts outstanding amount to £3299 10s 7d. Large powei- accounts are up-to-date. Since the March .meeting the final dividend of 2s 9.9 d in the £ has been received from the Waipuna Dredging Co., making a total of £154 17s 6d from this source, plus the deposit of £5OO, which was forfeited by the Company under the terms of its agreement. The engineer reported that a small extension had been completed at the Kumara railway station. Preparations were being made to connect the new radio transmitting • station there. Atarau Hall had been connected, and the schoolhouse there was to be connected when wiring was completed. A new sawmill at Taylorville had commenced cutting. The Poerua extension was completed, and farms connected. The miners’ hostel at Reefton was connected. “It would assist the Board's staff if consumers finding their house without power early in the morning would report the matter as soon as possible. We have frequent cases of where a trouble-man has just returned from a long trip to find that another consumer in the same area has meantime telephoned to have his power restored, after being without it foi’ the greater part of the day, causing two long trips. “For the quarter ending 31st March the Board purchased 8,188,000 units, the demand being 6472 k.v.a.. and the cost of power being £12,119 15s. For the corresponding quarter of th? previous year the figures were 7,274,000 units, demand 5374 k.v.a. for £10,198 15s. The power purchase for I he year ending 31st March, 1948, was 32.780,000 units, the highest demand being 6472 k.v.a. on 19th March, 1948. The total cost of power for the year was £47,380 19s 9d. Fcr the previous year tlie figures were 29,420.000 units purchased for a demand of 5878 k.v.a., an increase of 11.4 per cent, in the units and an increase of 10.1 per cent, in the demand figure”. CELEBRATION OF POERUA EXTENSION

invitation was sent Board members from Poerua residents to a social gathering in the Rotomanu Hall tonight to celebrate the extension of power to that area. Mr Ryan said that on the invitation of a member of the staff, he had performed the ceremony of turning the switch to connect the Poerua area with Rotomanu supply on April J2, at a n.m. It was decided that Messrs MeGilchrist. Clayton, McKay, Ryan, the chairman, and as many other members as could should represent the Board at the function.