WATER HEATING

Hawke's Bay Tribune, Volume XX, Issue 238, 26 September 1930, Page 8

WATER HEATING

REPLY TO “TRIBUNE” CORRESPONDENT MAYOR EXPLAINS POSITION. CHARGE CANNOT BE REDUCED. “I wish to refer to the question of water heating by electricity in Hastings which has been prominently before the public of late, and to a letter which appeared in the ‘Tribune’ on the 16th inst., quoting a reply received by the writer from another local body giving those extracts only which suited the correspondent's views, but leaving out information which totally nullifies tho statement made,” stated tho Mayor (Mr G. F. Roach) at the meeting of tho Hastings Borough Council last evening in a report. “Tho part left out refers to the fact that it would depend on thq number of installations it is possible to got per miles of water heating main.

“Tho council has gone very carefully into tho problem of water heating, and is in possession of confidential information from which there is no doubt that this question is causing anxiety to many of the supply author! ties, and Hastings is in the fortunate position of not having this trouble, and will bo well advised to leave it alone, except at a payable price. “To install a control system, as has been suggested, at say the price of £3 10s 9d per consumer, the figure quoted by the ‘Tribune’ correspondent, the position in Hastings would be that we would require the water heating consumers ’ premises to be in continuous rows, and the premises not more than two chains apart. If only a fifth of our consumers were supplied, the water heating load would be on penk at any hour of tho day, the control then become valueless, and the outlay would be thereby wasted.

“To reticulate 63 miles of streets would cost over £12,000 and that only in the event of no poles requiring to be replaced or transformers and lines increased in capacity. I am informed that in some streets tho lines would required to be increased to five times their present capacity, and that a number of tho poles would be too light; also tho transformers would not bo large enough. This would further add to the cost of £l2OO before mentioned.

“Tho question of the charge for water heating was adopted by a previous council, and has also been considered very fiiliy by tho present council, and 1 am of the opinion that the preseent charge cannot be reduced with fairness to the council, and to the majority of our consumers.” Cr It. Henderson: There is no one more anxious to have water heating than I am, but I can see that the time Is not opportune for it in Hustings. On Cr. Henderson’s motion the report was received.