A YEAR OF PROGRESS

Te Awamutu Courier, Volume 56, Issue 4054, 30 May 1938, Page 6

A YEAR OF PROGRESS

TE AWAMUTU ELECTRIC POWER BOARD. CHAIRMAN’S ANNUAL REVIEW. ‘‘The year ended March 31st last,” stated Mr J. T. Johnson in his annual report as chairman of the 1 Te Awamutu Electric Power Board, submitted to the meeting on Friday last, ‘‘has again shown a considerable increase in new connections, the connected load having increased from 8379.112 kilowatts to 10,048.099 kilowatts, being an increase of 1668.987 kilowatts, which constitutes a record for any year since the inception of the Board. NEW CONNECTIONS. “The number of new connections to our lines, exclusive of small heating appliances, electric irons, grillers, radiators, refrigerators and radios, increased our connections by 725 aS shown in the following statement, the figures for the previous year being shown in parenthesis: Bulk supply 3 (3), dwellings 192.1 (1760), businesses 287 (253), public halls 29 (28), churches 18 (17), hotels 6 (6), schools 20 (20), street lighting 5 (5), cow plants and separators 1113 (1010), other power plants 789 (663), electric stoves 464 (343), water heaters 909 (730); total 5564 (4839). “In addition to the above there were 408 extensions to existing installations. MAXIMUM DEMAND. “The Board’s maximum demand for the year was 1536 kilowatts, an increase of 153.6 kilowatts. The diversity factor, which is the connected load of 10,048.099 kilowatts divided by the maximum demand of 1536 kilowatts, was 6.54, as against 6.12 for the previous year. The units sold were 8,296,265, as compared with 6,794,869 for the previous year, showing the large increase of 1,501,396 units, and the revenue from the sales of current alone, amounts to £35,294 4s 3d, as against £32,188 5s 4d for the previous year, an increase of £3205 18s lid, being an increase of 9.96 per cent. The revenue from all sources for rhe year is £35,805 14s 6d. REVENUE AND EXPENDITURE. “On the year’s transactions as disclosed by the annual accounts, the net revenue account shows the position as follows: Credit balance from income and expenditure account £14,566 0s 7d, and to this amount must be added rent of houses £79 14s 6d, interest on financed installations £Bl 9s 4d, interest on investments £232 15s 4d; total £14,959 19s 9d. Against the last-mentioned figure there are: Interest and loan redemptions £10,355 9s Bd, depreciation fund £l9O 5s 9d, Te Ro re conversion to 11,000 volts £143 15s Id, superannuation £59 4s 3d, bad debts written ofl £29 14s Id; totalling £10,778 8s lOd. This leaves a credit balance in the net. revenue account of £4lBl 10s lid. The total revenue earned per unit sold is 1.03 d against 1.14 d last year. “The total operating cost per unit sold, comprising working cost and capital charges, but excluding the Te Rore line conversion, is .91d as against 1.02 d for the previous year. ILLUMINATIVE FIGURES, “The following table of five yearly periods of the revenue from the sales of current and the growth of consumers since the Board commenced supply is of interest: Year Amount Consumers 1922 £ 1,292 7 5 348 1927 £21,313 3 1 1275 1932 £29,518 11 9 1696 1937 £32,188 5 4 2101 1938 £35,394 4 3 2305 “The past year is outstanding in that revenue received over that of the previous year shows an increase of £3205 18s lid, and number ot consum ers 204, both exceeding any similar period over the past 12 years. “In my last annual report I pointed out that reductions amounting to £12,150 had been given over the previous eight years, and that for the present all available revenue will be required for the re-coppering of lines, this being necessary owing to the heavy increased loading of the lines. During the past year, owing to the extreme pressure and the staff available, we were only able to increase the copper where it was most, urgently necessary. However, this replacing of the copper to greater capacity must be faced to meet the increasing demand, and all available revenue will be required for this for the-pre-sent. RETICULATION EXT’EN SIO N. “During the year the Board raised £5OOO, the last of its general loan authority, also £4OOO of the HarapepeTe Pahu special loan. It also obtained authority by special order to raise £30,000, which was estimated tc cover requirements for several years. Of this amount the Board has been endeavouring to raise £lO,OOO, but owing to the low rate of interest to which it is restricted the various lending institutions have declined to lend, forcing the Board to apply to the State Advances Mortgage Corporation, and negotiations are at present being carried on with that department. Owing to the demands for power in the Harapepe-Te Pahu area the loan of £4OOO raised for the reticulation of that special area has been spent and the Board will require to raise the authorised balance of that loan, amounting to £4OOO, during the coming year. The Kopua area (part of the outer area taken over from the Wai tom o Electric Power Board) has had about six miles of lines erected, but both here and at Te Pahu there are further extensions awaiting oui attention to meet the demands of con sinners.

“A petition is now being prepared to incorporate into this Board’s inner area the Oparau, Te Kauri and Kawhia ridings of the Kawhia County, including the Kawhia town district Some time must elapse before the necessary formalities connected with the gazetting of the area, the canvassing of consumers, and the taking of a loan poll are complied with, but the business will be proceeded with as expeditiously as possible during the coming year. The bringing in of this area will extend tht Board’s western boundary to the Tasman Sea. “Heavier cable for Alexandra Street, Te Awamutu, has now come to hand, and the erection of this, which

will require to be done on Sundays, will be undertaken as soon as possible. LACK OF LABOUR. “The general reticulation work, as also the conversion of lines from 3,300 to 11,000 volt, and replacements of copper to heavier capacity, has been hampered by our inability to secure sufficient qualified labour. The manager is finding it increasingly difficult under these circumstances to meet the demands of present and prospective consumers.

“One of the factors in the problem of securing additional linesmen is the acute lack of housing in Te Awamutu. We had hoped ere this to have been in a position to help ourselves somewhat, but at present power boards are excluded from the list of local bodies to whom the Government housing finance is available. It is hoped that this position will be amended by empowering legislation in the near future. “THE POTENTIAL CONSUMER.” “Another problem awaiting solution is the supply to the way-back potential consumer. It should be the aim of the .Power Board to make electricity available to every home within its boundaries if humanly possible. The chief difficulty is economic, the capital cost and the cost of servicing. Are these an insurmountable barrier? By means of free grants in some cases and subsidy in others the Government, through its Public Works Department, endeavours to give road access to every settler. It should be practicable under some such similar system to bring the further amenity of electric supply to these self-same settlers. Under some such system of finance, guarantees required could be reduced and in some cases eliminated. There would still remain the heavy cost of servicing, but here again is it beyond reason to hope that some system as that applied by the P. and T. in subsidising certain ot its mail services could not also be applied by the Public Works Department with some modifications, to way-back electric supply? Power purchase costs are also a factor for consideration. Power boards and supply authorities have made reductions in their selling charges, aggregating hundreds of thousands of pounds in the last 10 years, but the State on its side in the same period has conceded nothing. We think something in the way of reduced charges is now due. “With the addition of much sparsely settled territory to our Board’s area we will be loaded with a responsibility to the isolated settler that will give us cause for much concern. It will require co-operation between State and Power Board, both conceding something worthwhile, to miake our objective possible. MAIN ITEMS OF WORK. “The following figures will give interesting information of some of the main items of work for the year 1937-38: “Miles of distribution line erected for the year: New 11,000 volt, 21.85 miles; new 3,300 volt, 1.22 miles; new L.T., 5.87 miles; new L.T. under 3,300 volt, 2.62 miles; new L.T. under 11,000 volt, 6.75 miles; total new 38.31 miles. New changed from 230 volts to 400 volts, 2.55 miles; replace ed with larger copper 8.65 miles; total 49.51 miles. The total of the above work involved erecting 162 actual mile’s of copper and the dismantling of 58 actual miles of small section wire, including the old Te Rore 3,300 volt circuit.

“Poles erected during year: In construction 674 ironbark and 501 silver pine, making a total of 1175; on maintenance 195 ironbark and 56 sil ver pine, making a total of 251, making grand totals of 869 ironbark and 557 silver pine, or in all 1426.

“Transformers: 19 additional transformer stations were erected. The total capacity was increased from 2717 k.v.a. to 3644 k.v.a. The above capacity does not include main 11,000/ 3,300 sub-station transformers, in addition 408 service lines were also erected. Peak load 1708.8 k.v.a.; max. k.v.a. on March 7th, 1938. THANKS AND APPRECIATION. “In conclusion, gentlemen, I have appreciated the courtesy you have always extended to me in my position as your chairman, and for your valued co-operation in directing the affairs of the Board and in the inter ests of its consumers generally. During the year the health of the manager gave us much concern, and he was forced to take a period off to recuperate. I know I am voicing your sentiments when I say how pleased we all are to see him back at his post and enjoying renewed health. Our thanks are tendered to the manager and his loyal staff in all department? for their zeal, co-operation and efficient service rendered collectively ami individually throughout the year. Also to the Press we would extend our appreciation and thanks for theii courtesy and faithful reporting of all meetings during the year.” CONG R AT U L AT I ON S. Mi- Sutherland congratulated the chairman upon his clear and informative report, and the whole staff upon the splendid service rendered. He had hoped to see an even greater mileage of new line erected, but unavoidable delays had occurred. Mr Macky spoke to the same effect, and he recalled the difficulties faced in the earlier years. These had been surmounted, and the business had increased really to a marvellous degree.