POWER FOR LICHFIELD.

Putaruru Press, Volume XI, Issue 268, 7 September 1933, Page 4

POWER FOR LICHFIELD.

LINE TO BE EXTENDED.

Start to be Made This Month.

An early start is to be made with the extension of the Thames Valley Power Board’s electric power lines from Putaruru to Lichfield settlement, a distance of about li miles. This is regarded by officials of the board as the first step towards the reticulation of a large farming district in the Matamata County to the south of Putaruru.

At Tuesday’s meeting of the Power Board the chairman, Mr. J. Price, reported that in company with the engineer he had attended a meeting of settlers at Lichfield recently. A canvass of the area showed that it would be a payable proposition to extend the line as far as Lichfield school, but if the line went further there would be deficiency under present conditions, at least, for the next year or so. This year the board would take the power line only as far as Lichfield village, but next year a canvass would be made to see whether a further extension would be payable. It was hoped that during the year there would be a steady growth of the use of electricity in the area now being reticulated as a result of new houses and sheds being connected up, so that the board would be able to get enough revenue from the Lichfield district as a whole to warrant a further extension of the line past Lichfield village. The board had found that once the power lines were brought into a district settlers used more and more power every year, because of the new buildings and subdivisions. Extension to Tokoroa.

Recently the Po'wer Board was asked by the Tokoroa Progress League to consider extending the power lines as far as Tokoroa, and although nothing has since been done in the matter it is certain that the board will be more disposed to reticulate Tokoroa if the revenue obtained from Lichfield exceeds expectations.

In conversation the engineer said he realised that settlement was advancing steadily at Tokoroa, and that in time the board would find it a payable proposition to extend its lines to Tokoroa. The amount of unsettled country before Tokoroa was reached made the cost of reticulation heavier than was the case where lines passed through closelysettled country.