ELECTRICAL ENERGY

Manawatu Standard, Volume L, Issue 194, 15 July 1930, Page 8

ELECTRICAL ENERGY

ENGINEERS’ ASSOCIATION. The Electric Supply Authority Engineers’ Association commenced its annual conference in Wellington yesterday. Mr H. F. Toogood presided over a large attendance of delegates. The report of the association stated that a special sub-committee had been set up to deal with radio regulations, the importance of which was obvious. The question of earth leakage had been prominent during the year, and, after intensive investigation by the Public Works Department, a proposed regulation had been drafted and would be finalised immediately after the conference. A sub-committee, appointed to bring down a complete set of lift regulations, would commence its work in the near future. The use of instantaneous water heaters had been considered further, but so far no action had been'taken by the Public Works Department to protect supply authorities. A committee to investigate the application of electricity to agriculture was set up during the year by the Department of Scientific Research, and Messrs McLeod and Kemp were appointed to the committee to represent the association. It was believed that very valuable results would accrue to the country when this work was developed. During the year the following .authorities had withdrawn from membership: Havelock North Town Board, Thames Borough Council, Hawera County Electric Company, while the Golden Bay Power Board and the South Taranaki Power Board joined the association. The present membership stood at 76. The year ended with a balance of £326 2s lOd. This balance was nearly equal to the next years anticipated expenditure; In view of the improved financial position, the application for a grant from the Power Boards’ Association was reduced from £l5O to £SO. RURAL AREAS. “My principal interest in electrical work lies in the development of rural areas,’’ said the chairman, Mr H. F. Toogood, in the course of his presidential address. “Knowing that the growth of the load and the electrical prosperity of city areas are almost spontaneous, and are easily stimulated it has been my constant effort to assist in every direction possible the distribution of electrical energy in the more sparsely populated areas where greater care in capital expenditure and more enterprise on the part of supply authority and consumer are required to achieve success.” He acknowledged the decided sympa thy of the association toward that object, and said that members representing purely urban areas, had, in general, been helpful. However, there still remained more to be done before full justice could be given to the smaller supply authorities operating in the more sparsely populated areas. Mr Toogood said that apart from those power boards that attempted too much in the first instance, and with the exception of some rural authorities who laboured under distinct difficulties, the industry still proceeded on its successful course, and this year had again been marked by an improvement over last year. DEMAND INCREASING. “With a growing business,” he said,’ “many authorities, have realised that they are definitely entering the stage of development when extra capital expenditure or investment of profits in extensions will be required to meet the increased demand of. energy, a demand which has increased in _ certain directions beyond all anticipations, and in the next few years it may be expected that most of the profit-earn-ing systems will be radically improved both with regard to current carrying and voltage improvement. “The time is therefore opportune to thoroughly review the regulations before this phase of development is too far advanced. The Public Works Department has apparently realised this also, and is now preparing for a revision. As this association is directly interested °in the future improvement of the regulations, it is to be regretted that sufficient progress has not been made by the Public Works Department to enable the whole of the proposed amendments being placed before this conference for discussion.” The conference agreed: “That the regulations affecting electrical inspectors be amended to make it definite that the responsibility, interpretation and decision on all matters affecting inspection rests entirely on the supply, authority’s engineer.