POWER POLES

Hauraki Plains Gazette, Volume 60, Issue 4341, 9 October 1950, Page 5

POWER POLES

POSITION DIFFICUL T DETAILS OF COSTS STATEMENT BY MR R. SPRAGUE “Owing to the recent floods in Australia, delivery of poles during the past three months has been very restricted,” said Mr R. Sprague, manager of the Thames Valley ElectricPower Board, when making his report to the October meeting of the board. Mr Sprague went on to statej—“l have made a special request to speed up deliveries and trust that supplies will arrive at an early date. There are some poles in Auckland, tut owing to delays on the waterfront these are still on the ships. We have been trying to obtain prices and supplies for concrete poles. These are now to hand, but the prices are much higher than hardwoods and the only alternative is for the board to go into the question of costs for their own manufacture.

“The following are concrete and hardwood pole cost comparisons:— Concrete: 35 ft., £l2/7/9; 30ft., £9/4/11; 25ft., £7/I's/11.. Hardwood: 35ft., £9/8/-; 30ft., £B/1/-; 25ft., £4/I'B/-. “The cost of poles in 1920 when the board commenced operations, was as follows, which shows how constructional costs have increased in one main item only:—

25ft., 18/- per pole; 30ft. £l/12/6; 35ft., £2/6/6. “There is a letter from the Power Board’s Association regarding pole supplies and the position is no different to when I contracted with our suppliers for two years’ supply, which I am pleased to advise have been delivered quite steadily until recent floods. have some photos from Australia which show how the pole dumps have been effected with the recent floods. I found also the main difficulty in obtaining poles was the State and New Zealand Governments paying such a big price for railway sleepers from the cutters. However, as already, stated it is most necessary for the board to consider their own manufacture. I understand that a paper on the question of concrete pole manufacture was considered at the engineer’s conference and should be of interest and assistance in this direction.