POWER BOARD.

Manawatu Standard, Volume XLIV, Issue 1186, 8 December 1924, Page 5

POWER BOARD.

PAST MONTH’S OPERATIONS. ENGINEER’S REPORT. Tho report of the chief engineer of the Manawatu-Oroua Power Board, Mr \Y. A. Waters, presented to the meeting of that body this afternoon stated that, following the purchase of the Rongotea Dairy Company’s electrical scheme, the latter had been successfully changed over to the board’s system on December 1. Three installations which had not passed the test before the change over would be connected up at an early date. The 11,000 volt line was also switched on to the corner of Kellow’s lino and two milking plants were connected up at the same time. 'The Taikorea dairy factory installation would be joined up on this line shortly. In the Linton area the 35C0 volt lines and transformer pole sub-station had been erected to supply Mr Craw’s flaxmill, where 50 horse-power in motors would be used. An accident occurred last week to a consumer on Foxton line, who received an electric shock through a water heating tank not being earthed, with the result that he was badly scalded, pulling it over to get free. The installation had never been inspected and passed, and tiie electrical filter responsible for the work had had his license cancelled for four months as a punishment for failure to notify us of completion, and failure to effectively earth the apparatus. FEILDING SCHEME. The following is Mr Merson’s report on operations at i> eilding during the month: Tiie revenue for the month amounts to tiie sum of £637 17s 3d as compared with £755 8s 7d for the similar period of 1923. in terms of an agreement the Cheltenham Dairy Coy. has been placed on the maximum demand or wholesale tarilf basis. As this is a quarterly tarilf it has been necessary to estimate the energy consumption at this factory for October, this having been computed on the industrial tarilt. Included in the above amount- is the monthly return from street lighting and the post olliee clock. Excepting minor troubles the plant has operated satisfactorily during tile month, the number of units generated during October being 54,994 us against 42.214 units for the same period 1925. Early in November the waterworks committee of the Feilding Borough Council waited on me to see if anything could be done to relieve the acute water shortage then existing in the borough. An existing well ami pumping service have since been put into commission at the power house. By this means our daily water consumption from the borough mains has .been materially reduced. We are now using about 8000 gallons per day as against anything from twenty to twenty-five thousand gallons previously. The ” Cheltenham Dairy Co., Makino, is easily our best consumer. as its demand is in the vicinity of 100 k.v.a. Notwithstanding this, the factory is often short of an adequate supply of power. This condition is brought about through the size of the wire used in high tension mains from the power house to the factors' being quite insufficient, and it is safe to say a line loss of 33 per cent exists. From an electrical point of view the existing arrangement is most unsatisfactory to the consumer and a losing proposition to us as a utility, for with such a high line loss, we are generating thousands of units annually which are non-productive. With the view to giving the company a helping hand, 1 have practically committed myself to the extent that we will give them a supply of power from Bunnythorpe by ('hristmas. This arrangement will be to our mutual benefit, as it means everything to the company, and to us the closing down of the suction gas engine during the day. The total number of consumers now connected to tiie system is 1164. as against 1124 for the same period of 1920. The matter of the erection of ’the 11.000 volt lines and sub-stations at I eilding has been settled, and the work is well m hand. Wc expect to give a supply to an industrial works in Ivawa Ivawa road. Feilding, on 15th December, and to pickup the Makino factory load on 20th December. When this fs done the work of converting the I eilding supply to threephase will be put in hand. lit conclusion the report mentioned that tenders hud been called lor five of 19-14 cable for Feilding reticulation. Two firms had been asked to quote for 3-10 k v.a. pole type series transformers for the Feilding supply, such firms being the only with extensive experience in this class of article, far only one quote had been received.