POWER BOARD

Manawatu Standard, Volume XLIV, Issue 1037, 9 June 1924, Page 5

POWER BOARD

CHIEF ENGINEER'S- REPORT. PAST MONTH'S OPERATIONS, The report of the chief engineer of the Manawatu-Oroua Power Board, Mr W. A. Waters, presented to the monthly meeting of thnt body to-day stated, inter alia: "Another shipment of 500 transmission poles per s.s. Joan Craig is unloading at Wanganui. Pole erecting work was stopped for a fow weeks, but had been resumed again after the lorry gang and pegging party had got another reasonable start ahead. A vast amount of work in connection with the tariff for large users has been done and will be the subject of a special report. In connection with Bunnythorpe substation last November I ordered wall entrance bushes from a Sydney firm which promised delivery in 8 to 10 weeks. Despite repeated cables for delivery as promised, it now confesses that it cannot make them unless we shorten the length by five inches, which is impossible, so I 'cancelled the order. A Christchurch firm now has the matter in hand and I am waiting a reply as to whether it can make them in a hurry, otherwise I will have to cable to America or London for them to be made. Owing to delay in this malter we have not vet changed over the system to 11,00-3 volts", as 1 do not care to handle the 11,000 volts with the large amount of lines in service without the protection of the Bunnythorpe switchgear. A further motor chassis was purchased during the month and a man and boy are now putting on the meters and doing odd work. Approximately close on 200 meters are now installed. COUNTRY CONNECTIONS.

"House Services.—Approximately 300 consumers are now receiving light, and Aoraugi and Awapuni groups are having the services run preparatory to 'livening up' when the reticulation is finished. The bulk of Kairanga is is being supplied, but in several parts of the district work is hiiog up for 26 foot poles. There are a further 358 houses wired or in process of getting wired up in group contracts to be added to the present reticulated areas, making a total of 658 consumers exclusive of milking motors. Our objective as outlined in my report of March 12th, 1923, of getting COO consumers on before Mangahao comes through will be easily achieved. "Industrial Motors, Etc.—One milking plant was put on during the month. It is the forerunner of several hundred orders in hand for similar duty. In this connection we have a,..big programme to get through in the next few months to chango over plants from oil electricity. A 42 h.p. motor is now running in works at Kelvin Grove, while three other installations urgently required as soon as we can put put them on will bring the total horsepower of industrial motors in four jobs alone, up to 105 installed horse-power." VISIT TO POKAKO. Mr Waters also furnished a report on his visit of inspection to the silver pine forest at Pokako whence a supply of poles is to be obtained. In this connection he stated: "The position at the time of my visit was that the bush tram-line had been built for about 90 chains or more. It is a good job, and only requires the capping rail to finish it The loading siding at Pokako has been built ready for business and the cost of loading timber will be a minimum at this point owing to the elevation of the siding. In connection with the tram-line this has a feature about it that is interesting, due to the grade.' Only one horse is required to haul timber out with trucks. The horse pulls the erap,ty trucks up to the log hauler site where the logs are loaded. When the chocks are taken away from the wheels and brakes released the whole load will run right into Pokako station quite easily of its own accord, and the hor=e follows" leisurely behind to tow the empty trucks back for another load. Like all pin,.- bushis, the area is very wet —especially at this time of the year. From what we were told the bush is not going to give the ratio of poles expected as the silver pine is proving when cut to be too big for poles and naturally more suited for milling and sleepers. That we will get poles ultimately there is no doubt, but to get them out in a hurry is impossible. Added to this are the wretched conditions of lifo in the bush during winter months, which will seriously mitigate against gelting a quantity before well into the spring. From our point of view we must have a stock of 26 feet poles in hand, as these poles are always wanted. What I suggest is that we get 750 of this size from \ustralia at once to tide us over until the bush work is properly under way.'