ELECTRIC POWER

Manawatu Standard, Volume L, Issue 117, 14 April 1930, Page 8

ELECTRIC POWER

MANAWATU-OROUA BOARD. ENGINEER’S MONTHLY REPORT. Reporting on {Tie operations during the past month, the chief engineer to the Mnnawatu-Oroua Electric Power Board, Mr W. A. Waters, states as follows: “Another transformer and two spans of 11,000 volt lines were erected at Rewa to supply a-large consumer. Another transformer and low tension lines were erected on Halcombo Road to supply two new . consumers. At Rangiotu the lines have been overhauled and straightened up, and nnother new transformer erected, while at another point the transformer was changed to double capacity. The temporary supply for the stone crusher at Kahuterawa has been dismantled and the transformer erected temporarily on Railway Road, as the existing one was getting over-loaded. Maintenance work has also been done in districts, notably Aorangi and Kawa Ivawa Road and'Sanson, and all the usual services and low tension work to pick up new consumers. PALMERSTON NORTH LINE. “One mile of tho Palmerston North line has been completed and wired. All the material required is on the job, with the exception ot poles. Some 37/12 cable required for connecting to the substation and the Palmerston North power house was purchased from the Waihi Gold Mining Company. The Kalingo arrived in Wanganui on Wednesday, but lias only 36 poles for this line out of the 100 ordered. I asked the agents in Wanganui to cable the Sydney office to ship the balance urgently by steamer to Wellington. If we do not get them soon, the lighting supply of Palmerston North during the winter may be. hi trouble. Advice-re-ceived is to the effect that the poles are ready, but the delay is due to coastal shipping in Australia. It is rather interesting to note that we have landed 27 tons of copper cable especially manufactured to our order from England quicker than we can get 100 poles from Australia, although both were ordered at the same time. “The Railway Department sent up an officer in connection with the Kelvin Grove siding as the position lias been altered since our original line wus first built. A petrol depot has been built under our 3300 volt fine and also n, siding, and I am now awaiting confirmation from that department of the altered route, which the railway officer and I agreed upon to get over.,'' the difficulty. Until we get a further supply of poles the Palmerston North line will be held up after the present shipment has been erected. We have already had two arranged ‘shutdowns’ at Bunnytliorpe to enable the work of connecting the new lines to our sub-station to be advanced and in about a week’s time wo will have to have another to complete the work. The next one will .be on a Sunday night as the work will take several hours after everything has been got ready. BROKEN INSULATORS.

“Our meter reader reported a number of broken insulators on our 11,000 volt line in the vicinity of Stanway School. A gang was despatched to make good the damage and it was found necessary to replace some two dozen insulators. Mr Donaldson paid a visit to the Stanway School and located the boy who was responsible for most of the damage, although he said he would not take all the blame. It seems not a case of deliberately aiming at the insulators, the target’ being in all cases magpies roosting on, or near, the insulators. Advantage was taken of the occasion to administer a severe admonishment to the boy and it is hardly to be expected that the trouble will recur. It cost us in the vicinity of £l2 to make good the damage. NEW CONSUMERS. “The following new consumers were given supply during the months: — Lighting and heating, 20; ranges, 14; water heaters, 17; motors for milking, 1; other motors, 27; industrial motors, 5; additions to existing installations, 80; community lights, 3; total, 167 STATEMENT OF ACCOUNTS. The statement of accounts to April 1 is as follows, according to the return submitted to tne board by the secretary, Mr K. W. Eglinton:— Total of loans raised, £500,000; expended to date, £493,148; balance, £6852; power fund advance, £11,921; total, £18,773.. , Installations and sales.—Total to date, £116,273 11s lid; collected, £108,207 7s sd; outstanding, £8066 4s 6d. Sale of Current.—Total for 11 months this financial year, £60,961 12s: total for 11 months previous year, £51,327 19s 9d; increase, £9633 12s 3d. Consumers. —Lighting and heating, 4368; water heaters, 1224; milking motors, 835; miscellaneous motors, 562; dniry factories, 18; freezing works, 2; industrial, 96; street lights, 255; community lights, 76; ranges, 650.