HYDRO-ELECTRIC POWER.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXIII, Issue 19405, 13 August 1926, Page 12

HYDRO-ELECTRIC POWER.

THE WAITOMO DISTRIOT. , PROGRESS; OF RETICULATION. ' ; [by telegraph.—own correspondent. ] ' TE KUITI! Thursday. At the meeting of the Waitomo Power Board Mr. W. Lee presided. ; ' Regarding the provision against accident from fallen wires,'the consulting engineers reported' that Metropolitan' Tickers, Limited, had developed a sensitive apparatus whose function was to.cut off the supply from any line in the event of a wire falling to the ground. They recommended that it should be installed on each feeder. It was decided that the device should be tried upon the Waitomo Caves line. The secretary-manager reported that the board's revenue ( for the month- had been £6215. Installation work to the value of £1035 had Been dt>ne, and there was work on. hand to the value of £Boo.' Thirty-two new installations had been connected to the board's supply, the total connected being 769. The ri:sid6nt engineer reported-that 199 concrete poles had been made since the tr&risfei' of'the plant ito Te Kuiti. In all 1600 poles had,been made. The Otorohalnga, two-feeder: line had been completed, excepting the sub-station and telegraph protection work, s which would be completed in a week's time. The Mangaorongo line had been completed up to Mr., Ellis' place. The Te Awamutu to Mr. Ellis' place and livened up to Mr. Mexted s place. The Te Awamutu line sub-stations had been completed, and the erection of service lines was .in progress. The line would be ready for connection with the supply, in about a week. All the poles on the Ran'geatea line had been erected,' and the lines strung. On the Puketawai lines poles were up as far as Mr..Meredith's place, and the lines were being strung. The poles erected to date totalled 706. For the purpose of providing additional lines not included in the scheme, for which :the original loan of £70,000 was raised, the board decided to raise a supplementary loan of £7OOO under the power given to raise 10 per cent, on the original loan without taking a poll. Revenue from the new lines has been guaranteed by the consumers. On September 1 the board will take a poll of ratepayers on a proposal'to raise an additional*'loan of £20,000 to finance consumers' installations and purchase equipment for sale. Reporting upon the board's scheme the engineers advised that" the net cost of construction had increased by £1510,. the bulk of which wis' 1 due to the inclusion of the Ki'okio line, the estimated cost of which was £IO4O. The total cost of £64,520 showed very little margin when compared with the £65,000 construction loan. "" : ' ;i '' 1 - . CENTRAL BOARD'S AREA. EXTENSION OF SERVICES. . [EV TELEGRAPH. —OWN CORRESPONDENT.] HAMILTON, Thursday : The Central Power Board met* yesterday, Sir. T. Hinton presiding. Advice. was-, received that a loan of £24,000 had been, secured at 5§ per cent. The loan is to be secured by debentures of £IOOO, and will be devoted to'the extension of the board's reticulation services. With a view to securing a greater,consumption of electricity in the district, it was decided to tako> steps to popularise the usci of electric stoves, it was resolved to ask the agents of these appliances to reduce , their prices. As an alternative, the board decided to secure the agency for a stove of British manufacture and retail this article, itselfi '