POWER RETICULATION

Hawera Star, Volume L, 26 July 1930, Page 6

POWER RETICULATION

SOUTH TARANAKI BOARD

EXTEN SJ. VE CON STB U CHON COMPLETED.

Tho South Taranaki Power Board met last evening. Mr J. B. Murdoch presiding. Also present were Messrs E. A. Pacey, E. At Washer, L. A. Bone, Ei. Long, N. C. Inne.s, J. W. Snowdon. An apology for absence was received from Mr O. J. Pies ton. ENGINEER'S REPORT. The following report was submitted by the engineer (Mr T. it. Overton) : Units, generated in June, 1929, 161,950; maximum demand, 720 k.w.; units generated June, 1930. 18/,460, maximum demand, 783 k.w.; increases of 25,110 and 63 k.w. During show week the largest load that has been experienced in the s tation was taken. No. 1 wiring completed, tlie eiection of lines on routes as follows: Sheet Road, four miles. 73 elmms or 11,000 volt line; Skeet. Road, one mile ’66 chains of 400 volt line; Auroa Road, two miles secen chains of 11,000 volt line • Auroa Road, one mile 60 chains ot 400 Volt line; Oeo Road, one mile 56 chains of 11,000 volt line; Oeo Road, 54 chains of 400 volt line; Rama. Road, 12 chains of 11 000 volt line; Rama Road, 37 chains of 400 volt line. Some 64 chains of low tension 'lines* in tlio Hawerai Borough were extended. Service lines were completed! as follows : IVainmte West, now construction, three 4-wire lines, one span; two 4-wi’re lines, two spans; one 4-wire line, three spans; 17 2-wire lines, one span; eight Swire linos, two spans; one, 3-wire line, one span. Inalm Road, one 4-wire line, five spans; one 2-wiro line, one span; Hauroto, Austin, IVharoroa Roads, three 2wiro lines, two spans; Manaia, Okaiawa Roads, two 2-wire lines, two spans; Ohangai and South Roads, three 2-wire lines, one span; Wenuku Rtoad, one 2-wire line, five spans. Reconstruction consisted of one mile of 11,000 volt line and one transformer on Skeet- Road. Maintenance of lines and faults were attended to ns required!. Reconstruction of pole lines involved the removal of .poles on the following routes: Mangnwhero, Manaia Road, Sheet, Ahaipaipi and South Roads, a .total of 132, and the erection of twelve 30ft poles on Sheet Road. Lint surveys have been carried! out on the Oeo Road, South side, on the South Road from Manaia, Lower Glenn andi Norman by Roads, a total of 10 miles 20 chains. The plans have also been completed. The Hawera Borough street lighting plans have been completed and it is possible that the material will arrive about the end of August, which ■will enable a start being made with the work.

A. lot of re-canvassing work lias taken place in Waimate West area, besides scattered! work in the areas already reticulated. McLean Road has been canvassed and insufficient revenue is offer-, ed. Kokiri Road is being investigated, but it will not be.possible! to give supply before the entli of September on account of the work on hand and promised in other parts. Group. Progress. —Group 5, with extensions and group 6, Auroa, have been completed with the exception of the blacksmith’s shop and Mr A. C. Johnstone’s. motor. Group 7, Skeet and Oeo Roads : Eight installations have been completed and) it is expected that all work will be finished in three weeks. Group 8. Normanby and Glenn Roads : 1 Two gangs have commenced work on this group and a. third is promised to start on Monday next. Group 10, Waimnte West, including the southern jx>rtion of Rama Rioad : Tenders will close about August 8. A group in Otakeho and Ohawe Beach is. being organised. “A very great deal of work has been done, as the report shows, 7 ’ said the chairman, “and it reflects very great credit on the engineering staff. 77 The reticulation of different areas was proceeding very satisfactorily and possibly within a month the Otakeho area •would be commenced.

The rapidity with which the, work was being effected was considered remarkable by Mr Bone. Tho engineer and his staff were to bo congratulated upon their efficiency. Other members expressed similar views and gratification that such progress had been maintained.

COMMENT ON BALA NOB-SHEETS'. “It j# extremely gratifying that balance-sheets taken out for four years by our secretary have been returned by the Audit Office without a tag oir even a suggested 'alteration, 77 said the chairman. “It shows that, the tiefciretary has been extremely efficient in a very difficult task. The: hoard has had a lot of criticism in the past about its administration, but in view of the balance-sheets our critics should apologise. Jt has been an enormous task to produce them, but it was carried outin a remarkably short time and they have been returned ahsoluteliy em-i-eid in every detail.”

“It really is moist remarkable when the vast number of entries /arc ,considered .and shows that the secretary not only demonstrated his efficiency, but also that the advice given by our .solicitor as to the order of various charges was correct in every detail, 7 ' said Mr Bone. “It was an extremely difficult iob and very efficiently carried out.”

Similar views wore expressed by other hoard members, who also were of opinion that both secretary and the board’s solicitor were deserving of every congratulation. A REMIT OF INTEREST.

Reporting on the Power Board’s conference at Wellington, the chairman stated that several matters of interest to the. South Taranaki Board had been discussed, the following being of especial interest:

“That this conference is of the opinion that the supply of electrical energy within the district of a power board should be undertaken exclusively by the power hoard; and that to carry out this principle legislation bo passed to provido that no new licenses or extensions to existing licenses under Section 319 of “The Public Works Act, 1928” should be/ granted within the district including its outer area of an electric-power board which is supplying or is prepared to supply electricity as required within its district and outer area.

This remit had been brought up by tho Grey Power Board, and the mine company there, which had been generating power for years, desired to supply part of the Grey Power Board’s area. If the Government approved of the resolution the South Taranaki. Board’s position in regard to' the outer areas would bo very materially strengthened.

A deputation from the Ivaponga Town Board, comprising ATess ns A. R. Bates (chairman), R. A. Law (deputy chairman), H. A. Gallagher (tonw clerk) and A. IV. And Orson (engineer), waited on the hoard in connection with the supply of current to consumers on tire Skeet and! Palmer Roads to prevent overlapping, and to make, an arrangement, as, to supply to those consumers. Tho question resolved itself “into a matter of each supply authority taking a portion ot' the consumers and an adjustment of the- re,venues. The chairmen of the respective hoards and the engineers are to confer on the matter with a view to reaching an amicable settlement. i