HEAVY DEMAND

Hauraki Plains Gazette, Volume 48, Issue 2818, 5 October 1938, Page 5

HEAVY DEMAND

POWER BOARD APPLIANCES LOAN REQUIREMENTS DIFFICULTY IN RAISING MONEY “With regard to additional moneys necessary to carry out loan reticulation to March 31, 1939, it will be necessary to obtain £36,000 in amounts of £6ooo' per month, in order to keep going until March 31,” stated the manager, Mr R. Sprague, in his report to the Thames Valley Electric Power Board yesterday. The advances to loan fund by power fund to date amounted to £24,000. Of this amount, £15,000 would be repaid bn November 1, which would leave a balance of £9OOO to be repaid. Transformers On Order The loan reticulation amounted to £4OOO per month at present expediture, which left £lsooi a month for six months to repay the £9OOO still outstanding from the power fund. The balance of £5OO per month would be necessary to pay for transformers on order, which would be arriving from month to month until March 31, 1939.

The board’s legal limit as far as overdraft requirements were concerned, was £104,000. Arrangements were made with the bank for the usual overdraft of £20,000. This amount would have been quite satisfactory if the arrangements for borrowing moneys could have been entered into. However, the necessary increase of overdraft could be arranged without any difficulty.

Increase In Consumers

The total number of consumers now connected to the board’s mains was 11,240. Thames and Te Aroha borough were included in this total and numbered 1222 and 761 respectively. Forty lighting and heating consumers were connected during the month, also 46 electric ranges, 80' waterheaters, two industrial motors and 85 motors on farms, of which 37 were milking motors. There were now connected and operating 1966 electric ranges, 4147 waterheaters, 982 industrial motors and 5788 motors on farms, of which 3094 were milking motors. Eighty consumers ’ had additional lighting and heating connections made.

The demand for ranges and waiccheaters, and also milking motors, did not show any abatement, and the board was still experiencing difficulty in keeping pace with the demand for those installations.

Demand Maintained

The half-year ended Septembei- 30 had been most satisfactory with regard to new installations and appliances connected, which the following figures showed: —New consumers, 301; electric ranges, 213; water heaters, 321; motors on farms 246 of which milking motors were 105; industrial motors, 30.

A total of 332 consumers had additional lighting and heating installations made.