Tararua Electric Power Board

Manawatu Times, Volume 62, Issue 168, 17 July 1937, Page 2

Tararua Electric Power Board

The monthly meeting of the Tararua Power Board was held in Eketahuna yesterday morniDg, there being present Messrs. J. D. Wilson, chairman, C. T. Richardson, P. Davies, A. W. Bisset, W. Simpson, R. Judd, J. B. Carruthers, W. Britland and T. Fouhy. A letter signed by several residents of Rongamai complained of interference which upset their radio sets. Mr. Fraser said that aoout six months agu there was a fault and it was attended to. Tho complaint only came iu yesterday and his staff had not time to attend to this complaint. He thought, aaiu the engineer, that there was perhaps trouble due to tree branches overhanging the power lines. Mr. Bisset moved that it be left to the engineer to attend to the trouble. A number of h.t. insulators have been | damaged by rifle bullets or stone throwing. Mr. Bisset said that a gang of larrikins was at work and he would like to see those responsible punished. It was decided to place the matter in the hands of the police. The secretary-manager reported: “Routine work has been as usual. No event out of the ordinary occurred during the period. The off season has lessened demand as is usual on the trading side. Electricity sales as recorded at the end of June show a slight reduction on last year’s figures. This is evidently accounted for by the revision of tariff charges, the full effects of which we are now ablo to partially understand. No influence, however, can be properly drawn at this period of the year as to tho ultimate effect of the concessions. The financial statement is designed to, and does show the trend of our workings in all phases of the undertaking. A reference to the statement will show a decrease in outstanding debits and also a decrease in trading returns for the month. Putara reticulation will effectively enter into the picture very shortly. By the time of your next meeting the settlers in this district are expecting to be connected to our lines. Mrs. Barrington spent nearly one week in the district giving popular and useful cooking demonstrations which were appreciated by a certain section of the community. This lady is a competent instructress and it was necessary to follow only one demonstration through to gather a correct impression of tho difference between the methods of an amateur and a professional exponent. L have omitted all reference to percentages in respect of the closing figures for tho first quarter oi the year as owing to several important features of natural circumstances which enter into the period only tho most commonplace comments could be made and these would not carry much value. ’ ’ The electrical engineer reported: •‘The two line gangs have been engaged on the loop line from Mangamutu to Pahiatua. This work has been completed with tho exception of two twoway air break switches which have to bo erected, one at the Pahiatua substation and the other at Mangamutu. We have arranged to carry out this work on Sunday afternoon, July 4. The arrangement of switches installed divides the loop line into six sections. Should a fault develop in any particular section it can bo isolated from the others without interrupting tho supply to tho Pahiatua area. This also gives an opportunity to overhaul the old 11,000 volt lines witnout having to cut the power off. Wo were fortunate in not having a serious breakdown on tho 11 k.v. line at Mangamutu where a number of h.t. insulators were found broken, evidently by stone throwing or rifle bul- ’ | lets. The four lights on the Mangamutu ,! bridge were also damaged, the shades . j being broken and the holders screwed '! off. Three 3,300 volt transformers on ' the Masterton road have been replaced jby 11,000 volt ones. Isolating links anu ’ i a Kelman switch have also been erectI cd. On June 21 the power was off j the Pahiatua area from 10.15 to 11.30 a.m. due to a tree being felled over the r 11,000 volt lines at Konini. It was rather unfortunate that the ring feed was not completed as the shut-down would have been only a matter oi minutes instead of li hours. Seven new . service lines have been run and a num ber of existing ones overhauled. The , material dismantled from tho Masterton road 3,300 volt lines has been returnee*

to the depot. One additional street light was erected in the Pahiatua Bor ough. The Putara extension has been surveyed, the pole positions pegged out and a start mado on the fitting and erecting. Earth testing was completed and records forwarded to the Government departments concerned. Well ' attended and evidently much appreciatJed cooking demonstrations were given jin the board’s area by a professional 1 lady demonstrator. Transformers have been dried out, tested and painted as they came to hand. Radio faults attributed to power lines have been

cleared. A defective service pole at Mauricevillo has been replaced ami alterations carried out on the l.t. lines crossing tho railway. With the completion of the Putara extension the

3,300 volt lines in the Nireaha area will be overloaded and provision will have to be made to maintain tho regulation pressure. I have estimated the cost of extending tho 11,000 volt lino to supply that district but on account of tho number of 3,300 volt transformers that would have to be changed this alteration would be altogether too expensive. The alternative is to build a sub-station 11,000 to 3,300 volts Sweetholm corner. As the necessary material is in stock excepting timber to erect a small bunding to house the instruments the cost would be approximately £SO. With tins arrangement the 3,300 volt feeder from Parkville to the North road, a distance of two miles, could be dismantled and material retrieved to the value of £l5O. A preliminary survey has been made of the Coonoor extension. The plans are now being prepared for the approval of the Public Works Department. The units registered at the Mangamaire substation for the quarter ending June 30 totalled 1,292,796 compared witn 969,637 for tho same period last year. This represents an increase of 33.3 per cent. The maximum load of 993.6 k.v.a. registered on Tuesday, April 27, at 11.30 a.m.,Constitutes a record, which shows an increase of ISO k.v.a. over the same period of 1936. ’ ’ Proposed Extension to Akitio County, Mr. Taylor reported having spent several days in the Akitio County, which is a portion of our outer area, in order to ascertain so far as possudo tne strenguii ox the local sentiment towards the reticulation of that district. My first impression is that there is a feasible proposition for the board to tackle and whilo, as a preliminary examination on the spot, the results so tar as promises oi revenue are concerned, there is a disclosed shortage of several hundred pounds in respect of tho route which tho board has ueen made familiar with, namely, from the boundary commencing near Coonoor auu cnuiug at Ailreuton, this by no means ends tho matter.

Tho scheme us originally conceived will require modifications and probaoiy one extension of eight miles on which there arc 22 consumers, it would seem that the Waihoki road will have to be included in the revised scheme. 1 met the settlers of Tiraumea and surrounding districts, Rakanui and iianui, at a public meeting, on June 21. About fifty persons wero present. A general keenness was evident. On dune 22 the settlers in the more immediate area met in public meeting, about forty persons being present. On the 23rd another meeting was held in the Pahiatua-Kange road.

At all the meetings lengthy talks were given, questions asked and answered, and interest amounting to enthusiasm was apparent. I got into touch with many settlers during the days 1 was in the district, uparc from the night meetings. Not one settler turned down the question of guarantee and none declined to give a promise. No pressure was brought to bear on the parties interviewed. The co-operation of Messrs. Johnston, Yeoman, Davies, the county clerk and engineer, and the interested concern of tho county chairman is acknowledged with much ax>preciation. The settlers on the Coast road are interested and I hope to go over this route at a future date, reporting later to you. This matter, however, can be dealt with as an extension of the main scheme.

There are probably sixty residents within one mile radius of the centre of Pongaroa townsmp, many of whom are tenants. Three or four of the main people in tho township will guaiantee £3O each; this will be tho backbone of the Pongaroa township reticulation. Assuming that tho scheme as originally drafted would require an annual revenue of £2IOO on a capital expenditure of £12,000, and assuming further that modifications and adjustments will enter into tho proposition that may make the first scheme unrecognisable, there is at least £I7OO tentatively promised or in sight. As this amount of revenue is within view, there is justification for proceeding with negotiations to a fuller extent than 1 have been ablo to conduct so far.

It is in my mind tho Akitio proposition will be simpler than anything we have netted yet in several ways. For instance, a service man would be on the job for tho whole area. The consumers would pay accounts to tho Bank of New Zealand at the Pongaroa branch, monthly, the annual minimum charge to the board on collection up to £2OOO would not exceed £25 v frec of exchange). Tho board will see that this is an interesting proposition and it may yet prove to be entirely feasible. It is now for the board to resolve whether the matter is worth pursuing further, and if so, by what means. The chairman said that ho was out in Pongaroa and there met Mr. Johnstox and Mr. Yeoman and had discussed the matter of reticulation with thorn. The Pongaroa people wero very anxious tt> get tho electricity out there and would go to all ends to help the board in securing it. The chairman said that the ground work was done and now it was only for an engineer to make a survey of the routes. The chairman, Messrs. Bisset and Carruthers were appointed as a committee to find a suitable man for the new Akitio area.