ELECTRICITY ON FARMS.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXIII, Issue 19235, 26 January 1926, Page 12

ELECTRICITY ON FARMS.

THAMES VALLEY PROGRESS. EXPANSION OF OPERATIONS. GREAT INCREASE IN REVENUE. [by telegraph. —OWN eonxrsroNPENT. 1 THAMES, Monday. The masniiutle of the operations of the Thames Valley Electric Power Board and its remarkable progress are not generally realised. The hoard, which was lormed in 1920. now distributes electricity to an area oi ever 20DO square miles. It serves the Haaraki Plains and Thamts. and tho boroughs of Te .Arena, Waihi, Morriusville, Pacroa. Thames and the Matsmata township. Th.e population of this area is .10,000. and the unimproved value is £7,500,000. Driving Milking Machines. Experience shows ihu ihe peak load throughout the boarei s extensive area occurs at'7.3o o'clock in the morning, and 5 o'clock in the afternoon, occasioned by the extensive use of power for milking machines. Although the charges to the consumer are the lowest in the Dominion, they compare favourably with those levied by the majority of Xcw Zealand power L-oarrls. In the area there are 1250 miles oi power lines, and, in addition, the board has 2oQ miles of telephone lines which are served by 35 stations. motors, of wii.ic*i t ~oO ajc C't tne a-mo. type used in driving milking machines. Water-heaters, for farm use, total 650. and 83 farm houses are equipped with electricstoves. Others are in use in the boroughs of Thames and Te Ar.i.a. The growth, of the board's, business is shown by the fact that the revenue rose The figures for the nine months of the present financial year indicate thai a record year will be experienced. Supply from McLaren's Fails. By far the most important feature of the year's undertakings has been the negotiations with the Public Works Department for the connection of the McLaren's Falls power station, Tanranga, with Waikino. thus supplementing the preseni- supply, and furnishing a stand-by in the event of any mishap on the Heritors Kna.

A farther connection has also fee«o arranged for at Bombay with ihc Bora-ho~a-Auckland line to proceed via Waiiakarr.ru and Waikino. This is expected t-o prove of great advantage to lire whole oi the board's district, and more pa.riic-ila.rly the Hauraki Plains. This line will cost £2-i,OOQ, in addition U> a £SOOO sub-station which wiß probably bo croctod in the vicinity of. Ngatea. The department has advised that this work would be commenced before autumn.

Seme, indication of the qnantity ©f current purchased is given by the fact- thai 10,000,C0D units are being used this year. This is approximately one-qnarter of the ■rmtont from Borahora

Throe years ago farmers sn ceriMß areas responded indifferently Jo a «warass for <cmsamt3Xk . There, ss a different story to-day. A'recent auvrass showed that, these farmers were impatient for electrical installations, and it will not bo lopg before practically every farmer in tire 'board's area will be a «fflaa»e. Loans, authorised I*o date amount '0 £700.000. of which £650.000 has been, spent, and the balance is arranged for to allow the continuance of -operations until next September. The board will then approach the ratepayers for authority to raise a further loan of probably £JSD'OOQ. Xo ditilraiHy is anticipated because of the year's remarkable progress, xvhiih should eonvinoe ratepayers of the soundness -of the board's position.

ACTIVITIES IN TAIRANIrA, PROGRESS OF RETICULATION. REPORT BY THE ENGH lEER, I»T SmjEJJBAI-H.—OWN ; CO3.S.'ESr*OKnEK'T. ] S-AtTRA-XGA,,' Meaczs, Reporting 'to the Tanrangs Power Board, the mp&*ee notified the oomphlion of the line oonstrnrhon work in the Xatikak distrfct. Roles ware being cartod fn Wairoa. <djstri-et- with a view to mniafwfej* line oreolioc ml wokh A fair arnonnt of distribution work has been don* on the Cam bridge ®oad, who* fonr sub-stations weT'O now operating, A sqna-d was oreoting 'the : two-and -a-ha-if xnilsa fs? lino eastward from like Otmawm* station, whioh woald jrnpww the supply in the be Poke area, and facilitate the isolation of lose tronklos. On the Rtncmra load 71 miles of line had been bivenod tip, ■sn-d praetieahy all the {arms -'were oonno, bed, iki the 'Te -Malar Road al eon■s;.rnet:on. melnding .abont oight railps of lino, -have been oomph-tod np to the npnor school hem**- Ckmsfewtitm v&s. proceeding at the nppar end of No, :2 Road, Te Ik-ike, ano m; the .Raoosraroa Tillage taren:!.. To to date 2SDD po-e.s of all lengths srs 650 miles of wire had been <Wi<i Seventy trailsffernor sab-sta-tions bad beers erected, 'There was every sTjriTfatwn thfii the -srborne* w-oald be ooinpletod ••'-f-ek within the e-srnoat-ed A snhst.ant.ial snin was., howevor., reoir.reo ferine hnanom-g of the cxtraordiTiflrv oc--nisnd far o.';osvirr-e:-s" ftrvioe krm? ar?d ir> sl:,-.r.to Ti.e.r-0e -ne.ft- c-f ntir-eh.;is-.r;g Teeters fes: :.'-,to. Th t i ret Iking r,]f,.nts «;o far eer.reete.i t-oiaiieiS IXD.