ELECTRICAL WORK.

Hutt News, Volume 3, Issue 15, 4 September 1930, Page 9

ELECTRICAL WORK.

CHANGES IN HOUSES

BLOCK SYSTEM PROPOSED

A discussion took place at the last meeting, of the Hutt Aralley Electric Power Board on the advisability or. othei;\vise of the board's instituting the '' block' 7 system for the purpose of at: tending- to little electrical defects in the houses of the 'counsunlers, especially where certain fittings have to be replaced to conform to more recent regulations. The discus^ibn aiose fr6"m a reference in the engineer-general manager's report that from, July .10 to August 13 184 re-inspections Syere ipikcle ''involving defects to be r.eil'iedied in.144.' '■ . ■ ... It was pointed out that there were no defects in installatidjbij but only that certain fittings had be to brought up to date to conform^to. Gbvernmerit regulations. Mr A. "Walker desired this fact to be stressed, as in a certam borough it was suggested that/recent fires were caused through defective installation^. "As a matter of fact," he said "there are no defects in the installations an<l the fires were not eailsed by them. The trouble in. Eastbourne; is that there are .no elec"■trieians in.the 'borough, vlf possible the ' ' blocV .system should be used by. the Aboard. It .w.oitjd save a lot of money to the board's; consumei'^. To get an electrician from ■Wellington, Lbwer Hutt, or Petone, often: costs very .mueli more than the actual w<?rk, thereby .inflicting great hardship on p^6j)le of; small means.'' The .engineer- gefneiial manager (Mr Hollands) said, that? an* inspector from the Underwriter's Assoeisition. had car' ried out examinations in; Day's Bay and Eastbourne, and he ■ repoxtpd that the electrical woric was good, and compared favourably with any similar work elsewhere. / * Tliese re^nspectiqns and replace- . ments of certain fittings installed bejore 1927. are necessary. We are forced to carry out the inspections by the Qx>vernment." . "work by the board . "Should not the board caiay out thia work of installation! "asked Mr Anderson. ' '." Mr Stewart asked that the cutting ofE be held. in abeyance and the board see , what it could- do; He did not like holding a pistol at a man's head toy threatening that if he did not carry out the work ho Would be cut off from the electric current supply. It was mentioned by Mr Walker that he personally had carried out successfully, in a small way the {'blocB 7' system, an electrical expert doingl the work in several places in the one visit. Mr W. H. P. Berber: I think if there' is an individual who has a defect in his installation and who won't have it put right ,then. he should be cut off from the board's supply. . Mr A. W., Press suggested that the "engineer-general manager should 7 be instructed to bring down a report to the next meeting on the "block" system. One member said that as the reinspeetions had to be ca-rried out in all the bouses the board could send a man to 'do about twenty Traces in the same local- :..-■-: :U-- '; ■■.' ■ ■■ ." ,'. . •■'■ Mr Hollands pointed out that under 50 per cent of the consumers would have any trouble to .which attention would have to be given. ~ .^Surely;'' said Mr^X W. MeEwan; •' ( it is not. beyond the ability of the board to do it, as the work would be for .the/benefit of the consumers. I think it • woiild be best f or. the board to authorise the gen era! rtianager, when these inspections take place, to see if the person is desirous' of the board making the ■ installation, or whetKer he prefers to haveVthe work done himself." Mr A. J. McGurdy: Is not that trading? The boatd Has set its face against trading. / . ' Mr Anderson: Then it is time it turned its face the other way, ' .A motion that the engineer-general manager report on the question of theboard doing the work on the "block" system was carried. -