HYDRO-ELECTRICITY.

Horowhenua Chronicle, 18 February 1931, Page 6

HYDRO-ELECTRICITY.

HOROWHENUA POWER BOARD. The monthly meeting of the Ilorovhenua Electric Power Board was held n the Board room, Levin, on Tuesday, ;here being present; Messrs G. A. Monk (chairman), W. Barber, i. G. \incent, . r Bryant, E. S. Morse, A. E. Hyde, - 3 Blenkhorn, A. J. Petherick, A. Seifert, and F. J Ramsay (secretary and treasurer) „, fT r t c POWER FOB FLAXMILLS. ' At the previous meeting of the Board a committee was set up to go into the question of supplying current at cost to flaxmills, with a view to relieving ' unemployment. As a result, the Engineer and Mr Seifert were appointed to meet the Flaxmillers’ Association, following which a deputation from the Board visited Wellington recently and waited upon Mr F. Kissel, chief electrical engineer of the Public Works Department, and placed before him two requests. One of these was that the charges for power taken by the Boaid should the flaxmills decide to commence operations again at some date other than the beginning of the quartet, be split into two or more parts for Die purpose of assessing the maximum demand, and that accounts be rendered on the maximum demand occurring m To *this request Mr Kissell replied that he was prepared to recommend favourable consideration, as it was recognised that the flax mill load was a considerable portion of the Board s to tal and that the Board would be called upon to make a large payment fox power used for a short period if the ordinary quarterly maximum demand charges were enforced. The second request was that the Department should, in order to assist the industry, agree to a reduction in price for power supplied to the Board and used in the flaxmills, because the Department might have water running to waste. To this Mr Kissell replied that he could not agree. He stated that the condition of the Department s electric supply account, particularly m respect to the Mangahao-Waikaremo-ana system, was such that they could not afford to give any concessions on price at present. Although at the time of the deputation’s visit there may have been water to spare and they could have generated extra power at little or no additional cost, yet any commitment on their part to supply at this lower rate would have established a most dangerous precedent and one under which the demand might have necessitated purchasing bulk power at additional cost to meet their obligations. As a matter of fact, recent events in Hawke’s Bay, Avhich had temporarily cut off the Waikaremoana supply, bad already necessitated the purchase of power generated in W ellington. The action of the deputation was confirmed. ENGINEER’S REPORT. The Engineer (Mr J. A. Smith) submitted the following report;— “Four new service lines have been erected, extra phases mu on two existing services and three existing services dismantled and erected in new positions. Three poles have been erected and 448 chains of wire run out. “Changing of wire on account of the growth of the load has been the main item on construction during the period. This was done in the Waikanae township from the Main South Road to the School corner, and on the old Hautere Road, and through the paddocks to the Otaki Road sub-station. “A shipment of seven “static” condensers came to hand and they have been erected and placed into service in different points of the area. “General maintenance and overhaul to lines, equipment and outdoor substations have been commenced and the following work under this heading has been completed: —All poles between Waikanae township from Painui Store corner through Brown’s Swamp to Fraser’s Road have been de-sapped and treated with preservative, and a large number have been hardened up in soft ground with sand and blocks. All erossarms and ironwork have been tightened, and as close an inspection as was possible (owing to the lines being alive) was made of all E.H.T. insulators. Service lines were restrained and fuse-boxes overhauled. A number of poles were straightened up. “A commencement has been made on transformer changing for general overhaul and drying out, and while this is being done all sub-station platforms and switches are being attended as far as is safe under live wire conditions. The following transformers have been changed for overhaul: — 75 k.v.a., Speirs’s Mill, Shannon; 15 k.v.a., McKay’s Crossing; 10 k.v.a. Matai Road, Paraparaumu; 10 k.v.a., Phillips’ Corner, Paraparaumu; 15 k.v.a., Soldiers’ Road, Paraparaumu. “A set of lightning arresters has been installed at Oturoa Road, Wirokino. “During the period 30 installations at Manawatu Heads and 10 at Tokomam have been inspected and re-test-ed and found to be in good order.” The report was adopted.