High and Low Voltage

Manawatu Times, Volume 63, Issue 62, 15 March 1938, Page 4

High and Low Voltage

MANAWATU-OROUA POWER BOARD MEETS.

Present at yesterday’s meeting of the Manawatu-Oroua Electric Power Board were Messrs J. Boyce (chairman), J. A. Nash, M. A. Eliott, J. Hodgens, M.P., W. McKay, J. H. Mason, W. P. Bickers, W. G. Shannon, N. Campbell, C. G. C. Dermer, E. O. Bond and P. G. Guy.

When the Power Boards’ Association wrote asking what loan moneys would bo required for tho next 12 months, the secretary said he could give no definite estimato at the moment as tho requirements at the Ohakca aerodrome were not known but he had pencilled in £15,000. —The board approved of Mr Eglinton’s action. The Palmerston North City Council acknowledged the board’s decision not to sell power in bulk for Milson aerodrome and wrote agreeing to sell the service line at £57 8s sd, being the cost of same. From the Minister of Labour, through Mr J. Hodgens, M.P., came advice that subsidised labour could not be granted for tree cutting. Statement of Accounts. The managing-secretary, Mr K. W. Eglinton, reported:— Installation and sales: The collections for the month amounted to £631 7s 7d. The amount outstanding is £3657 9s 6d. Sales of current: Total for February, 1935, £7882 17s 6d. Total for 1937, £7676 10s Bd. Increase, £206 6s lOd. Total for 10 months 1938, £80,453 16s 2d. Total for 10 months 1937, £73,478 6s 2d. Increase, £6975 10s. Bank balances: Power fund account, £15,708 4s Bd. Loan account, £8879 9s Id. Engineer’s Report. The board’s engineer, Mr W. A. Waters, reported as follows: — Lines: The new 100 k.v.a. 3,300 volt transformer has been erected in Denbigh street, Feilding, and put into operation, while another 50 k.v.a. 3,300 volt transformer and the necessary 31 feet poles have been erected in East street to cope with tho increased load. The new all-electric State houses are in tho area adjacent to this latter transformer. A short extension of six spans of 400 volt line is being erected in Port street to supply new load. The balance of the mercury vapour lamps for tho improved street lighting of Feilding arrived and were erected, but owing to the rush of work, the permanent work of installation is still to be finished. I A thunderstorm in the Apiti district on February 12, caused a dislocation of tho service and damage to meters and consumers’ equipment. The work of testing all the earth pipes has been completed to enable us to make the necessary returns to the Public Works Department, and the Post and Telegraph Department The regrouping of transformers and installation of larger cables has been completed on Puki Puki road. On Nannestad’s line, eleven spans of wire were changed to 7-16 cable and the position of a transformer altered for added load that has been connected. A temporary 20 chain 11,000 volt line was run into the site of the hangars at the Ohakea aerodrome for the building contractor with a 50 k.v.a. transformer to supply a connected load of 67 horse-power in motors. Repairs to the 3,300 volt line at Siberia was carried out and some cables were replaced owing to being damaged in gales. Several decayed tree trunks and other trees that were a menace to the main Palmerston North line were removed. Tho matter of dangerous trees was attended to. in Ashhurst, Gorge road, Feilding-Ash-hurst road, Kelvin Grove, Stoney Creek, Bunnythorpe, Nannestad’s line, Reid’s track, Taonui, Aorangi road and on the route of Rongotea feeder. Maintenance work has been carried out in various parts of the area and slack services restrained and poles reblocked. A service line was run to the house and hangar at Taonui aerodrome. In order to keep lines clear of aeroplanes, this had to be run in underground cable for part of the distance. The cable had to be run under the asphalt road and the railway embankment at Taonui, so in order to avoid the costly excavation and replacing of the asphalt, pipes were forced under the road and railway line by means of a special jack and the cable was then pulled through. New Consumers. —The following new consumers were given a supply during the month:—Lighting and heating 12, ranges 11, water heaters 10, motors for milking 1, industrial motors 10, other motors 26, additions to existing installations 35; total 105. Meter tester.—Mr. I. N. Brown, of Whangarei, who was the successful applicant for tho position of meter tester, will take up his duties in charge of the test room about March 15. Concrete poles. —The moulds fox the poles are being made locally in readiness for the work, but the steel ordered eight months ago has not yet arrived. The electric vibrator for vibrating the concrete into place has arrived, while the Feilding workshop staff have been making the necessary jigs for assembling the rods ready for welding th steel cages. With regard to deliveries of steel, this is a difficult matter at the present time, as all the mills in England and Australia are behind in their deliveries. A recent technical article on the matter forecasts an early improvement, as the British mills are now catching up on orders, and with the erection of new large capacity mills it is anticipated that the position will rapidly improve. It was stated in the article that tho American steel mills were now running below capacity, as the peak demand had passed, a fnd one agent in New Zealand has offered to get the steel poles from Canada. Recent orders from this source have been delivered in New Zealand in three months after ordering. The steel required for concrete polos is somewhat off standard, and while the mills arc working at high pressure to roll the common sizes used in ordinary building work for which there is a big demand, the special shapes have a heavy delay until sufficient orders accumulate to warrant changing over to roll them. Earthquake Damage. The engineer reported that the recent big shake (which was very severe at Bunnythorpe) caused some large cracks to open up in the master switch room at the substation, and caused numerous cracks in the water-shedding apron

around the building. However, as the building was now so well reinforced with steel inside and out, there was no need to worry about them. The tiled roof on the condenser room was giving trouble, owing to leaks, and he proposed to recover this part of the roof with iron. The tiles curled up in the hot weather, and in an easterly gale the water then blew in. In the operator’s cottage a serious crack had opened up in the front bedroom, and in addition tho concrete band around the building had been cracked away from the brick walls for a considerable distance. However, the roof was well built, but the worst cracks would have to be plastered up and the room re-papered. Fortunately the building had a low ceiling, and owing to the fact that all internal partitions were of wood, the building was a very stable one. Well borings show that while tho buildings were on a clay subsoil, the underlying strata was peat and other unstable strata, which explains why the buildings get shaken about so badly. Settlers Form Deputation.

A deputation consisting of Messrs. G. Collins, R. Young, D. G. Furlong and W. A. Coombs waited on the board in respect of light and power for Komako district. They felt that a guarantee of £64 each was too heavy.

It was explained to the deputation that the Minister of Public Works was anxious to hear of areas without light, especially where extensive reserves, coming in between settlers and the power, made lines expensive. The board would recommend them to make application through their county council for a subsidy which the Minister had promised. The power board would be pleased to give all assistance it could. It was decided, subject to the consent of the Minister, to purchase a house aud 1£ acres at Rongotea for £SOO, as a residence for the board’s troubleman in that locality. A section of land is also to be bought at Bunnythorpe, the board’s intention being to build a house on it for another of the board’s trouble-

In view of a holiday trip to Australia, Mr. W. G. Shannon was granted leave of absence from the next meeting of the board.