Power Board

Hutt News, Volume 16, Issue 4, 24 June 1942, Page 5

Power Board

''The year's progress necessarily has been subject to difficulties inseparable from the war in maintaining personnel at effective strength, and procuring important items of plant and equipment, for major con struct ional and maintenance work," states the Engineer General Manager t.Mr. E. F. Hollands) in iiis annual report presented to Ihe itw:: Valley Electric Power Board on Thursday last. Continuing, the report, stat.es:--'-Despite the foregoing diriiculties we have' been able to maintain and operate successfully, and hare carried out a portion of the constructional programme laid down for the year under review. The future, however, is uncertain and new construction will be limited, sonic; left in abeyance tin til normal commions exist and equipment and manpower become available.. Development in rural areas has had to be retarded, mostly because of tile necessity of conserving our present stocks for essential work and the maintenance of installed plant and reticulation. In common with other public utili ties we have found that greatly increased demands on the Hoard's services have created special problems, outstanding is the general manpower shortage and the diiliculty of even temporarily replacing many ol' our trained personnel who have joined the armed forces or have been called up for territorial duties. Our aim has been to discharge our duties evenly, especially under the Electricity Controller's unit demand restrictions, to distribute energy where required for essentia) purposes, and with our limited available staff- to provide the best, possible; service, witii due regard to the severe cut made; in our fuel supply covering the transport section. The Board was constituted on the Kith August, 1922 and has now been in operation for nearly twenty years. As a Supply Authority it is in its eighteenth year supply being made available on the 24th December. 1924. , The Board's area of supply embraces the City of Lower Hutt, the boroughs of Petone, Upper Hutt. and Eastbourne, the Johnsonylle Town. District and part of the Counties of Hutt and Makara. The analysis of the relation between revenue and expenditure is as follows: —Out of a total income "of £181,155/19/(J, the Board has paid the Government for bulk supply 1103.152. (This shows an increase of £f>,594 over last year's figures). Other charges such as interest, sinking fu'nd and redemption of debentures absorb a further £22,095/3/-. Administration expenditure for the Board's undertaking to efficiently maintain the equipment and service to the was £3 5,8 8 2 (being a decrease of £4,451 in comparison with last year) representing only 19.8 per cent of the total in-

come. The total expenditure for Vthe year was £'154.885/10/5, against an estimated expenditure* of £165,264. After making the necessary deductions for interest on loan payment, representing £15,8-50/14/2, replacements £2,398/1 7/7, and sink ing fund and redemption of debentures amounting to £6.244/8/10, the balance of £20,057/0/3 represents net profit. This amount is carried forward to Net Revenue Appropriation Account v.ji (ided to the balance brought forward from 'ar>t year, totals £36,884/11/7 of which £12,202/17/10 has been appropriated for Capital Expenditure, leaving a net balance of £2 4,621 13/9. The Board's system of street lighting, in the majority of cases, is a series system, the control being spread over the various Local Bodies within the Board's area, if is impossible to control all street lighting from a central point so arrangements were made to control each section by push button control on each series lighting transformer substation. This involved the purchase of special apparatus and the work was carried out as the equipment was available being completed during December 19 11. A number of street lights have been entirely disconnected to comply with the Regulations. regarding control in case of emergency, some because of interference with_ navigation "within the harbour, others because the cost, of alteration did not warrant the work being carried out. The report was passed and the management and stall congratulate-! on the year's workings.