Bay Power Consumers Double

Northern Advocate, 28 May 1940, Page 6

Bay Power Consumers Double

[Special to “Northern Advocate ”] KAIKOHE, This Day. _ In an interview with the “Advocate ’ last night, the secretary of the Bay Power Board (Mr. W. Thorpe) stated that on March 31 the number of consumers reticulated amounted to 876. This figure had since nearly been doubled. At present 22 men were engaged in the Mangonui county on line constructional work, and a considerable amount of service lines have been erected, while in the Bay county 12 men and a boy are engaged on work at Kerikeri and Towai. The board had taken over control of the Kerikeri power station and was obtaining the largest possible output from the plant, with a view to relieving to some small extent the heavy demands on the Government supply. Chairman’s Pride. “Members will share with me the pride and satisfaction of having _at last realised our ambitions of having light and power brought to the Far North,” the chairman of the Bay Power Board (Mr. A. E. Bisset) said in his annual report. “Power was switched on to nearly 500 consumers on December 15 last and at the end of this financial year 876 consumers had been connected. “During the 3£ months of supply a total revenue, including street lighting, amounted to £1649/12/11. “I have no doubt that, in the history of undertakings of power in this country, no other board has commenced its activities under more unfavourable circumstances,” the report continued. “Despite the outbreak of war and the imposition of restrictions of imports and the consequent delay in delivery of materials our construction activities have not been retarded to any great extent, although a shortage of wiremen and housewiring materials has delayed several installations.” Engineers’ Report. “It will be remembered that at the beginning of the year now under review the board had just arrived at the stage of being equipped to commence active constructional operations,” the engineers (Messrs. Mandeno, Lee and Jackson) reported. “Its depot and four staff houses had been built, stocks of reticulation requirements were coming to hand and a construction staff had been assembled, together with necessary plant. “Poles in the Kaikohe town area were in course of erection and the somewhat doubtful matter (at that time) of further finance had been eased by the arranging of the second instalment (£35,000) of the board’s loan authority.” Since Outbreak of War. Continuing, the report stated that since the outbreak bf war the number of men employed on line construction had been allowed to taper off. and only one or two of the vacancies caused by the men enlisting had been filled. In spite of this, a very substantial volume of work had been completed, and 1733 miles of overhead line were erected by the end of’ the year. The board’s authorised loan of £200,600 would cover more territory and give power to more people than was originally thought. By reducing the number of the poles used on lines in the territory to a. bare minimum, the board now had sufficient poles to enable it to continue all the reticulation work at present in hand to be completed, without requiring additional supplies. ‘ Figures quoted in the report showed that 681 domestic consumers and 141 commercial premises were connected during the year, while 990 meters were installed. Street lights numbering 90 in all were erected in three towns. A total of 2658 poles and 1885 transformers have been erected along the board’s lines.