ELECTRIC POWER.

Hawera Star, Volume XLVII, 14 January 1928, Page 6

ELECTRIC POWER.

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WATER SiIORTAUE DIIiTCLLI Y

As a result of water shortage it was recently luunU necessary ior cue upuuane Bower Hoard to mose down ior a lew hours eucn nignt. Dowever, arrangements uud been made with New mourn uy u nion it was noped that a continuous service nugiit he eltecteu over tne whole area, -v report deainrg witn tna matter was presented by the engineer at the board's meeting held yesterday when there were .present aacssrs. C. A. Trotter (chairman;, J. Dickey’, xv. E. Co liras, YY . JL». I l '. Uiamheis, and el. Goodwin. Heave ol ahsence was granted Mr. J. Burton. Lne engineer (Mr. M. 11. Baron; reported tnat owing to water snortage it nad been necessary to supply tne outer area from the New Plymouth supply between December 7 and 11 and from December 2Lk The Rahqtu-Pungarehu seotion had also been similarly supplied ton- some time. Tne distance from New Biymouth was too great to give the best service to the Pungarehu end, but arrangements were bemg made to give . supply o.f 100 k.v.a. irom New Plymouth to Opunake. This should allow a continuous service to be maintained over the whole area. The plant had ooen closed down each night from December 22 to store water for the day mad.

The report stated that 4 k.v.a. transformers had been erected while heavier feeders had been placed in position in King Street - . The line re-con-struction on the Dower Kina Road had .ceil completed. Several connections

tad been made during the past month as follows: Four stoves, three domestic water-heaters, two lighting installations, one 1 h.p. milking motor, and one f h.p pumping motor. N. (J. Morgan, Ngariki Road, Rahotu, wrote asking the board to consider the question of compensating users of electric water heaters who were obtaining unsatisfactory, results owing to the power being cut off at night. an this connection the meter reader reported that Mr. Morgan had informed him that the dairy inspector had stated that if he put the water heater >ut the board would have to compensate him. There was some discussion on the matter of the dairy inspector's authority to* make such ,a statement. It was suggested that the attention of the Department of Agriculture be directed -o the matter that it should be asked m what authority the statement was made.

The chairman said that with the shortage of water the water-heaters should be replaced with the chipheaters.

There was considerable discussion on

die motion of Mr. Chambers that no more water-heaters should be installed in account of the cost. Tlie chair-man said that the board worked not to make dividends but rather to guard against making a Joss. Mr. Chambers withdrew his motion.

The alleged, statement, of the inspector would be referred to the Dairy Division, it was decided, and an explanation would be requested. A copy d the letter would also be forwarded to the inspector. Mr. Morgan would re informed that the board could mot rive any compensation, but hoped, within a week to give continuous service. The Cambridge Electric Power Board asked whether the board insisted on .cas in the vicinity of power lines being earthed and, if so, did the board ,-arry out the work or did it supply materials to the farmers?—The secretary had replied that nothing had aeen done by the board, who.se public sk insurance policy covered it against nv claims for such damage. The inspector of Factories, New Plymouth, drew attention to the fact that ;lie board was committing a breach of the Factories Act in employing the ivs under 18 years of age for more than 45 bonis in one week, their hours naving been 45 hours one. week ami ■s2i hours the next. 'Plie secretary replied that the position regarding attendance at the power lonse was peculiar and could not be regarded as similar to a factory as intended by the Act, and submitted reasons to that effect.

A complaint from W. A. Corbett, ci Pungarelui, about '‘unsatisfactory power” stated that he had to milk 113

cows by hand. He had installed an engine as a stand-by at a co-st of £3B. The Department of Internal Affairs notified that a clause validating payment of interest and sinking fund out of loan money by the board had been passed in the Local Legislation Act 1927.

The assistant-Commissioner of Taxes notified that agreements on and after November 30 between electric power boards and 1 purchasers as to. the sale aml purchase of electricity or electric fittings were exempt from stamp duty. The secretary was granted permission to attend the annual conference of power board secretaries at Wellington m February 22.