WAITEMATA POWER

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXX, Issue 21546, 18 July 1933, Page 11

WAITEMATA POWER

NORTHWARD EXTENSIONS WAIWERA PLAN PREMATURE The proposed extension of the board's reticulation to Waiwera was the subject of a report by the manager, Mr. A. Main, to the Waitemata Electric-Power Board at its meeting yesterday. Mr. Main stated that it had been pointed out to the Waiwera residents that the revenue the board would receive by extending the line from Upper Wainui to Waiwera was not at present sufficient to justify the extension. It would be better for all parties to wait until the question as to whether Rodney County was to be included in the board's area had been settled. The inclusion of Rodney County might mean the early reticulation of the Puhoi district, and this linking of the Puhoi arid Waiwera districts would involve important modifications of the route of the line to Waiwera, also the class of construction. Returns showed that the gross sales of current for the month of Juno amounted to £10,524, an increase of £299 compared with the same period last year. Gross sales for the quarter ended June 30 totalled £22,826, as against £22,835 for the same quarter in 1932. Discount allowed to consumers for the past three months totalled £3917, compared with £3764 for the corresponding period last year. It was reported that consumers were paying their accounts on due date, and the total of bad debts incurred during the past quarter had been surprisingly small.

The manager recommended that the installation of any inter-communication system between Henderson and Helensvilie be deferred in the meanwhile. Comparative costs of the four possible methods of communication had been compiled, as follows: —Radio telephone, £1500; carrier current telephone, £1200; high-tension telephone, £100t); lease of circuit from Post and Telegraph Department, £IBO per annum. The district telegraph engineer had advised that the possibilities in connection with carrier current telephony were such that in the future not only would existing disadvantages bo overcome but the capital cost involved reduced considerably. It was recommended that the development in this system be watched by the board's officers. The report was adopted. It was reported that the loan account had a credit balance of £34,259 available for capital expenditure, on loans sanctioned to date. There was in addition the authority of tho ratepayers to raise a further £35.000 when required, with the consent of the Local Government Loans Board. This was tho third and final instalment of a loan of £IOO.OOO for general extensions, authorised by a poll taken in November, 1929.