TARIKI POWER SCHEME.

Hawera Star, Volume XLVII, 23 May 1928, Page 9

TARIKI POWER SCHEME.

ANNUAL MEETING AND KKI'OKT. At the amiiU meeting <» the Taranaki Electric Dower Hoard, held at Eltham on Monday, the chairman (.Mr H. G. Carman.) presented the following report on" the hoard’s lirst full supply year:— “The financial year ended 31st .March last has been the first lull year f the supply of electricity generated at our own power (station. 1 he plant has run satisfactorily since it wa.s started in January 1927, and has ha.l only two imoiuntarv stops, one of toil minutes, and the other of half a minute. Tnc main programme oi reticulation has now been complctco, although tlieie still remains a number ot roads without power. 'these wi I ee added as Hie demand and prospect s justify the capital expenditure. The lines erected now comprise: 18 miles 33, (Jin \oll main transmission line. 23 1 miles (G (Molt high pressure line, i i addition to low tension and service lines. The opening up of the tunnel through the Mangaotea swamp has been carried on during most of the Near, and will be continued during the .present year. The nature of the work makes it advisable to do only a small portion’ at a time, whenever it is possible to lower the level of the lake, owing to tills work the start of the extraordinary dry spell hist summer eaught us with the lake at a low level, with the result that near the middle of February, there was a danger of shoi tage of water, making it necessary to discontinue for two days the supply to New Plymouth, so as to ensure a fall supply to the board’s own consumers. Had the lake been full at the start of the dry spell instead o down five feet, there would have been no danger, this five feet being twothirds of the ayailable draw-off of the lake.

The number of consumers at March 31 last was 1508. an. increase of 39.1. listed as follows (the Jigurcs for 1927 being given in parentheses):—Dairy factories, 1928, 29 (28): lighting and heating. 1928 1441 (1179); milking motors 77-5h.p., 1928. 39! (216): water pumps and motors 805 h.p*. 1925. -17 (7); other works. 1928, 08 (33): water heaters, cowshed, 1928, 217 (86). domestic, 116 (43); cooking stoves 1928, 96 (46); connected .load, 1928, 2693 k.w. (2-236 k.w.): Total connecting load including Stratford. 5293 k.w. The balance-sheets for 1925-26 and 1926-27 are still in the hands of the Audit Office at Wellington, and till these are passed only a rough draft balance-sheet for 1927-28 is aavilahle. The loan liability"* is £465,000 and. subject to any adjustments required by the Audit Department, the amount expended totals £460,797. This expenditure includes trading account stool: 010.454. poles and Hue material £9402. and balance due'by consumers for installations £9983. expenditure on headwords-, reticulation, offices, stores and plant £430,948. Material and plant to the value of £5351 have been disposed of during the year and further sales are in course of negotiation. Revenue from the .sale of current totalled £21.152 14s 3d as against £14,G‘>3 ,6s Id last year, exceeding the estimate of £20,000 by £1152. The striking of the availability rate was undoubtedly responsible to a largo extent for the increase in the number of consumers using motors, water heaters and cookers, and T have no hesitation in strongly recommending the board lo again this year levy the j availability rate. The same rate of in-! ci ease that has taken place during the last t welve months w. put the under-j taking of a payable basis in three years, while the early .joining up of j those not at present taking current I will bring about that desired position j earlier.

Authority was received from the Local Bodies’ Loans Board under-Sec-tion 70 of the Electric-power Boards - ’ Act to carry forward a sum up to £0,200 as ascertained loss on the year’s operations. Tin*.actual amount requir i’d is not known at 'present, and it will be some time before all accounts foi power an,| rates can be adjusted, but :t is considered that this amount will be ample. The amending Act of 1027 Provided; for a depreciation account being established by power boards, but allowed same to be deferred for a,

period of seven years from the com.mcneement of supply, at the expiration of which time the total amount maybe paid in one sum, or by annual instalments enual to not less than onefourteenth of the total amount. The board at its March meeting 'decided to set aside a depreciation fund of two per cent, (of which the sinkingfund in connection with the loams would be one per cent.). Payment of the balance to the Fund Commissioner, to be deferred as provided by Section 22 of the Electric-power Boards’ Ad 1927.

r again draw the attention of the heard to the system of bookkeeping in, sisted upon by the Audit Department, dealing only with eash receipts and expenditur, an,] and I still consider that a summarised set of accounts on commercial lines should be kept in connection, with Trading Department, a remit to this effect should be submitted to the next. Power Board Conference. 1 have to thank the members of the board for their whole-hearted support during the last year, also the members of the staff, both office and outside, and at the same time congratulate the board on the willing and efficient staff now engaged on the board’s work.” The report was unanimously, adopted without discussion. ELECTrOX OF OFFICERS. On the motion of Air. T. R. Anderson, Mr. H. G. Carman "was re-elected, unopposed, as chairman of the board. The following committees were reelected:— Finance. —Messrs. C. Foreman, \V. 11. Were, and J. T. Belcher. Works. —Messrs. R. J. Kunekey, T. R. Anderson, J. Dobson and the chairman. The chairman's honorarium was again fixed at £l5O, and members’ renumeration's on the same basis as last year (10s per meeting, pins travelling expenses).