Hutt Valley Gas Supply

Hutt News, Volume 20, Issue 17, 25 September 1946, Page 7

Hutt Valley Gas Supply

STATEMENT BY BOARD. DOING EVERYTHING POSSIBLE. In answer to complaints receiver and others appearing in the pres; under noms-de-plume and criticisms levelled at the Petone and Lower Hutt Gas Board in not maintaining an adequate supply of gas over the past five years, the Board feels thai the consumers should be again advised of the efforts which are Board lias made during the war years to remedy the position and to meet the growing demands. Carbonising Plant. in 1939, when war was declared, the Board’s then carbonising plant consisted of eight chamber ovens, capable of carbonising 500,000 cubit feet of gas per day with suitable New Zealand coals and also eight beds of horizontal retorts which were obsolete and which the Board had hoped to discard. When the war commenced industries were brought into the Board’s area for manufacturing war equipment, and the Board was directed to supply the necessary gas for this very important work. These industries were a constant drain on the Board’s carbonising plant and the Board was then faced with obtaining additional plant to meet the demand. The Board engaged a competent engineer to advise on the additional plant, necessary, and in 194 2 tenders were called for an additional nine chamber ovens which would meet the demand for many years. In 194 3 this contract was lot, but the Board was not able to proceed any further because consumers will realise that all firms were, more or less, 100 per cent, on war work. Correspondence and cablegrams passed between the Board and contractors, and eventually the Board was promised that the plant would be arriving in February, 1946, but to date no fabricated steel has arrived, although the Board has had the foundations down for sixteen months and now believe that part of the steel will arrive this month (Septem ber), and the contractors assure the Board that they will use every endeavour to finish the work as speedily as possible. Reticulation. The Board is fully aware of the condition* of mains in certain areas, but can assure consumers that a comprehensive report was furnished five years ago dealing with tills question and only the war has been responsible for the delay. The streets with small mains were laid down many years before the Board came into office. Here again the Board has been held up for new mains and we have been waiting since August, 1945, for 14 miles of mains to arrive, from Australia, notwithstanding the fact that priorities have Tieen provided by the New Zealand Government, but unfortunately shipping space has been at a premium. Every endeavour is being made to ship weekly quotas for this Board and other local bodies requiring these much-neecled .pipes. Over the war years also the Board’s distribution system has suffered through insufficient man-power to meet the needs of t'he growing Hutt Valley gas area, but the Board has endeavoured to give service to its thousands of consumers amid trying circumstances. Coal. Consumers will realise that the Board’s carbonising plant was built for New Zealand coals and before the war other gas undertakings were using Newcastle (Australian) coal, but since 194 2 coal from Australia has not been available and the New Zealand Mines Department had then to supply all the gas industry with New Zealand coal, which,' of course, has caused at different periods a serious shortage of coal, not only for the Board, but all other gas concerns throughout New Zealand and has also caused a serious shortage of gas to consumers when they needed it most.

The Board regrets this position, but has done all in its power to maintain supplies even when com sumers had no idea of the difficulties the Board was faced with in endeavouring to maintain even a limited supply. The Board desires to pay tribute to the consumers who have unfortunately been in the very restricted areas for the patient forbearance during the difficult period ancl again states that it is doing everything possible to Improve the position.