SUPPLY OF ELECTRICITY

New Zealand Herald, Volume LX, Issue 18471, 7 August 1923, Page 9

SUPPLY OF ELECTRICITY

SOUTHERN SUBURBAN NEEDS.

QUESTION (Jffl RETICULATION

[HORAHORA. POWER REQUIRED

Residents of t Mangere are in some anxiety as to tl/e prospects of the district in regard to a supply of electricity, and a deputation waited, on the Auckland Power Board .-yesterday in connection with the matter. ,

Mr. S. Wj. Houso said the deputation had been aofranged at a Meeting held recently at Mangere. Indignation was felt that nothing had yet been done in the matter, for when the Manukau County-. Council decided to 'come into the Power? Board district, it was promised that Man. gero woii/d be supplied from the centrod power station. In a list of proposed worits drawn irp'by the Power Board's engineer recently,, however, there appeared tiio names <pt a number of other districts, ■which were to be served before Mangere, and it was considered that as Mangere joined up with the board prior to .these district, it should receive prior consideration. At the time of joining, the Mora--s\ora and Arapuni schemes were not finder consideration as possible sources of hydroelectric supplv, which showed that it was. intended that Mangere should be supplied from Auckland. The district was piwgressing aft a rapid rate, and power, was needed for .lighting and industrial purposes allyMpr. A. E. Trayes said Mangj&re was really, part of Onehunga, and whtJn power was extended to Onehunga, Mangere Bhduld bo served too. Jn reply to Mr. S. I. Crakes, Mr. H>use stated that there. were \ already a • rutmbex of small plants in • operation <in Mangere, and .the number woulf no doubt hie increased considerably when Jpower was available. The chairman, Mr. S. H3n]4utt, stated in reply that when negotiation f. were being carried on, a number of thing?* were stated as probabilities, which might have been wrongly construed as definite promises. Almost as soon as the board took office, it was found that power woiild bo available from Horahora, and it, was decided that all the outer areas beyond Penrose should be supplied from this! source. The Government had stated that) power would be available by July of n£xt year. 'As soon as supplies were available, transmission wires would be Iffid from Penrose to Papakura, and w'/ien this workhad been completed, reticulation would be started in districts corriiguous to the main lice. A line woulq be taken off from the main. line sometvhere south of Otahuhu, and a feeder line erected to Mangere, probably toward/ the end of next year. • . ~ ~ " Some district must inevitably come last," said Mr. Harbutt.j "and I do not think you will say thej board is acting wrongly in reticulating districts which are thickly populated and hfeavily loaded. We must get revenue at the earliest possible moment. We hope to be able to start reticulation some time before the end of 1924 although no premise can be made, ' and'perhaps to supply power early in 1925." " ~ a ' ■" j Mr E. H. Potter; said he understood from Mr. L. Birks that nine-tenths of the material for the Horahora works were on the ground. The ii»sulator3 had been inspected, and the balance of the material was due about the end of next month. Mr. 3. Park saijd a definite statement had been made b>v the Mayor, Mr. J. H Gunson, that power for the Mangere district would be supplied as stated by the deputation, aiid it was on that < understanding that it had linked up with the Power Board, us Manukau was in a strong enough position to have got a permit on its own, account had it wished. Some definite assurance should be given by the board -regarding the. Mangere supply, in ordffr that the promise given mitrht be redeemed. ,» The chairman remarked that Mangere had nothmir ■Ui fear. The board had not been lax in tjie fulfilment of any other promises, and, he hoped it would be in 1 a position to redeem this one also. , 'We will certainly do the best we can for you " he adqied. Upon withdrawing, the deputation expressed appreciation ,of the statement that power would be available in 192&