POWER SUPPLY

King Country Chronicle, Volume XXV, Issue 3373, 3 October 1931, Page 5

POWER SUPPLY

WAIRERE BOARD. MONTHLY MEETING. The monthly meeting of the Wairere Power Board was held yesterday. Present: Messrs. E. Tolme, chairman, F. Davidson, P. D. Smyth, R. Boddy, G. F. Nelson, C. K. Wilson, M. A. MacKenzie, also Mr. F. Harvey, engineer, and Miss M. Bond, secretary. The following business was included in the agenda:— Correspondence. The State Fire and Accident Insurance Office acknowledged receipt of the Board's letter re accident to a farmer whilst assisting the Board's staff in extending power lines to his own shed. The Board had enquired re liability. Further details in regard to the mishap were asked for, it being decided to supply these. The Board's solicitors gave an opinion on the following question submitted to the Board: In the event of a consumer having a range installed and paying cash for this installation, and later having a shed installation carried out on terms, can the Board claim the range as part payment of the account owing, or is this to be treated as a separate installation?

If the range has been paid for in cash, it becomes the absolute property of the consumer and could not be seized by the Board on default being made by the consumer in payment of another installation. The only method by which the Board could seize the range would be to sue and obtain judgment against the consumer for the amount owing, and then issue a distress warrant when the range and any other chattels which are not subject to any other registered security or hire purchase agreement could be seized and sold in satisfaction of the judgment.

The Pio Pio Co-op. Dairy Company wrote stating that in view of the low ruling price for butter and more intensive competition, it is necessary for manufacturing expenses to be cut down to a minimum. Electric power charges last year ran out to just on 3d. per unit, and with outside competitive dairying companies paying id. per unit off peak load, the position would be apparent to the Board. The proposition put for the Board's consideration was that if the Dairy Company kept off the peak, which is approximately between 7.15 and 8.15 a.m., the the Board cut out the flat charge of ss. per h.p. per month and the Dairy Company pay straight-out power charges of 3d. per unit for the first 240 units and after that a Id. per unit. Mr. Nelson, after reviewing the position in which the dairy companies now found themselves, thought that the proposition should be accepted. "It would be a disastrous thing for a district like this, if the dairy companies went out of action," he observed during his remarks.

Mr. Wilson: It would be disastrous.

After some discussion, in which Mr. Boddy expressed the opinion that some concession would have to be made, the latter suggested that the charge should be 3d. for the first 100 units, and a penny per unit thereafter, and the abolition of the flat rate.

The engineer considered the arrangement suggested by Mr. Boddy would be satisfactory, but recommended that such apparatus as necessary should be installed in order to prevent power being taken during the peak. Mr. Boddy's proposal was agreed to, and the recommendation of the engineer accepted. The Board's solicitors advised re alteration of boundaries—AwakinoMokau District —that the proclamation altering the boundaries of the Wairere Electric Power Board, in terms of the recent petition, had been duly gazetted. The Board could now proceed with the raising of the money in order to reticulate the area. It was desired to know whether the Board wished to enter into negotiations with the Taranaki Board for including the small area over the river, also in the Wairere Board's area.

Mr. Boddy suggested that before proceeding with steps preliminary to the raising of the loan that the matter be referred to the committee set up at Awakino, asking them to take steps to have the area south of the Mokau included. A resolution in this direction was passed. The Pio Pio Co-op. Dairy Company, Ltd. wrote advising that a meeting of the Company would be held on October 13th, when the meeting would be pleased to receive the deputation from the Board which desires to discuss the matter of obtaining payment from consumers.

The matter was discussed at the. last meeting of the Board, when it was pointed out that whereas suppliers were assisted by the Board in the way of power supply, the Board in some cases was not receiving payment. It was decided to ask for the cooperation of the factory in the direction of obtaining payment.

Reports

The engineer's report contained the following information: — Lines and Services: The service line to the new site of the Public Works Department .quarry, Awakino Road, has been erected and put into service. ' Consumers: The following work had been carried out: One re-con-nection, 5 extensions, 7 time switches, 5 estimates submitted. New work estimated to produce additional revenue to the amount of £lO per annum had been connected, consisting of 8 lighting points, 1 heating point, 1 domestic water heater. Preparations are in progress for the quarterly meter reading. The secretary reported on a large number of individual accounts, installations, etc.