Trees and Wires

Hawke's Bay Tribune, Volume XXVI, Issue 110, 22 April 1936, Page 5

Trees and Wires

REMOVING DANGER Power Boards Seek Special Legislation UNDERGROUND LINES A desire to bring about legislation to provide against the menace to electric wires by damage done by trees prompted the Hawke’s Bay Electric Power Board to adopt a resolution at its meeting yesterday to co-operate with the ManawatuOroua and other electric power boards in their efforts to bring the required legislation into effect. In addition, the Hawke’s Bay Power Board’s engineer is to bring down a report on certain roads in this district where wires might be placed underground, with a view to saving certain trees.

The secretary-manager, Mr H. H. Wylie, read a lettcu- from the Manawatu Oroua Power Board and au enclosure—a copy of a letter written by the Minister of Public Works, the Hon. R. Semple—to that board. In this letter the Minister stated:— “Further to my telegram of the 3rd instant, 1 have to advise that the resolutions carried by the conference (held recently at Palmerston North) are receiving consideration with a view to preparing legisaltion.

WHO IS TO PAY? “The principal difficulties of the situation seem to me to lie in defining what constitutes a menace and in determining who is to pay the cost of removing it. The existing legislation already provides for the removal of any tree which constitutes a menace to an electric line, and in that respect probably needs little alteration.

“Had those concerned realised which trees did constitute a menace, and had they acted under their existing powers, uo damage would have been caused by trees. The difficulty, however, as 1 suggest above, is in determining exactly what constitutes a menace.”

The letter went on to say that the question of cost of removal would require careful consideration. The whole ■subject was receiving consideration, and a Bill would be introduced in the House as soon as a satisfactory provision had been prepared. “That letter, while sympathetic, is not satisfactory,” said Mr 8. Ashcroft, when the Hawke’s Bay Power Board was discussing the matter. “Something riiore might be done by the Manawatu Oroua Board, or by some other boards, in order to have something done to bring about more desirable legislation. If some definite co-opera-tion is given in this matter, by pointing out the special needs, some definite success might be obtained.”

AN IMPORTANT MATTER. Mr W. Harvey thought that a letter to the Minister of Public Works might do some good. “It is a very important matter,” he added. “The conference was helped to be made ineffective by the fact that there were so many county council representatives who opposed the suggestions of the power boards,” said the secretarymanager. “It was hopeless. I'm afraid that the conference, at any rate so far as the Government official was concerned, was rather ineffective. I cried to point out our difficulties and they were inclined to think I was exaggerating. I’m not very hopeful of legislation being put through.”

Mr Ashcroft then moved that the Hawke’s Bay Power Board co-operate with the Manawatu-Oroua and other power boards in the matter of hastening legislation into effect. “I feel that our chances of getting satisfaction will otherwise be remote,” he said. His motion was carried. SAVING CERTAIN TREES. On the motion of Mr Ashcroft, the board also resolved to instruct its engineer, Mr H. L Benjamin, to make a report on certain roads in this district, with a view to consideration being given to the cost of having wires placed underground, to save certain trees.

The subject ox the tree menace was also referred to in a letter received by the bear’d from the Hawke’s Bay Fruitgrowers’ Association, stating that it had decided to circularise all its members, urging them to do r’’ p -ssible to keep electric power lines safe against overhanging or breaking branches ot trees.

The following extracts is from the report of the engineer “Severa! power failures and broken wires have occurred recently through trees lulling across the lines in the Longlands area, Waiii.srania road and in the I’wyford district,” Mr Benjamin said. ’’One of the board’s gangs, with a lorry, lias been almost constantly engaged cutting down trees that are a source of danger to the elect,ric lines thing Guppy and Meeanee roads and in the Taradale and Greenmeadows districts. Whenever there is a strong wind blowing all trees overhanging the electric wires are a continual source of danger, nnnovnnr’e and expense to the