ELECTRIC SUPPLY

Te Awamutu Courier, Volume 60, Issue 4285, 27 May 1940, Page 5

ELECTRIC SUPPLY

TE AWAMUTU POWER BOARD. ANNUAL AND MONTHLY MEETINGS. The statutory annual meeting oi Te Awamutu Electric Power Board was held on Friday, when there were present Messrs J. T. Johnson, J. A. G. Sutherland, W’. J. North. J. C. Mfontefiore, A. L. Storey, N. M. Lethbridge, J. Matson, J. B. Teasdale, and S. C. B- Macky. -The secretary-man-ager, Mr D. T. B. McArthur, also attended the meeting. Mr Johnson was unanimously reelected chairman, amid applause and congratulations upon a fine record of service—twenty-one times in succession elected by unanimous voteIn returning thanks, Mr Johnson nominated Mir Sutherland as deputy chairman, and he was elected to that office.

The Board as a whole will function as a finance committee.

Mr Sutherland congratulated the chairman upon his very clear review of the position to date and prospects for the new term.. He added that supplies of copper wire would be short, but as far as possible the district would be developed. Messrs Macky and Matson also expressed gratification at the very informative review. MONTHLY MEETINGThe ordinary monthly meeting of the Board was then held. The joint secretaries, Te Awamutu District Emergency Precautions Organisation, advised that they were asking the three principal local authorities to each provide £3 towards incidental expenses. Mr Johnson explained the activities of the Emergency Committee, which Was set up at the express request of the Government, and recommended that the application be granted.— Agreed to. Intimation was received that the annual conference of power supply authorities would be held on 2nd and 3rd July in Wellington. —< Messrs Johnson (chairman), D. T. B. McArthur (secretary-manager), and E. Bryant (works engineer) were appointed to attend. ELECTRIC STOVES. The chairman mentioned that alarm had been expressed at the anticipated shortage of electric stoves consequent upon the import restrictions, but the Association had made representations and the Government had approved the importation of 2000 electric stoves from, overseas. New Zealand firms could not manufacture sufficient stoves to meet the demland. The manager stated that he estimated that Te Awamutu district’s needs for the coming year at 150 stoves.

Acknowledgment of the Board’s resolution of regret and sympathy at the death of the Prime Minister was received from the Hon. P. Fraser on behalf of himself and his Cabinet colleagues. The vicar of Te Awamutu invited members of the Board to attend at St. John’s Church on Sunday evening, for the special service in connection with the Empire Day of Prayer. —The invitation was accepted. A donation of £1 Is from unauthorised expenditure w ( as made towards a presentation being made by Auckland provincial local bodies to Mr H. Anderson, of Auckland, who has been a very efficient secretary and adviser for several years of the Provincial Employers’ Association. The manager reported that the Railways Department had cancelled the Board’s lease of a stacking site at the local railway station, as it was required for railway purposes. He was, however, .making arrangements for an alternative stacking site. TELEPHONE CHARGES. When it was reported that telephone charges had been increased owing to the new grading placing Te Awamutu on the same plane as Hamilton Gisborne, and Whangarei, MrMacky commented that it seemed absurd to charge Te Awamutu district subscribers the same as Hamilton subscribers, who had probably four or five times the coverage. There should be an intermediate grade, or the grade 2 limit should be raised from the 1000 mark to, say, 1500 or 2000.

The secretary, Arapuni Golf Club, sought permission to obtain supply of power from the Board’s lines in the neighbourhood. Application had been made to the Public Works Department, but the Club was referred to the Power Board.—(Received. Reference was made to faulty static condensers, and the manager stated that these were being replaced, having been purchased on a guarantee. But the war troubles had affected continuity of supply from the British manufacturers. MORE LOAN MONEY. The manager reported that loan authorities had been exhausted by the recent lifting of £lO,OOO, being the final instalment of £30,000 authorised. It would now, he said, be ne cessary to seek a fresh authority, as development work could not be continued out of revenue. Last year, he added, £12,000 had been expended. He suggested that authority be asked for £50,000, which couM be uplifted as needed. „„„ , , The chairman said the £30,000 had been expected to last for at least four years, but the district was developing so fast that the money was all used. , Mr McArthur said it would not be necessary to take a poll of the ratepayers. It was decided to apply for authority to raise £50,000, in the expectation that this would be sufficient for several years to come.

SUPPLY TO NGUTUN'UI

Consideration was given to the Pi-rongia-Kawhia district development, and the manager traced on the plan where supply could be given up to Ngutunui off what would be the main line to Kawhia. Settlers at Ngutunui had met officers of the Board, and given full details of probable needs. Application had then been made to the Loans Board for authority to proceed, and a reply (read at the last month’s meeting) indicated that the

Board would consider at a later date authorising the needed money,, but it was suggested that if the whole sum was agreed to the Power Board would undertake to only raise amounts from time to time sanctioned by an Order-in-Council. The explanation was that there were many serious calls on all available funds. Mr McArthur said he had written to the Loans Board asking that the application be re-considered, and he had forwarded a very full and cleat statement of the position in the Pi-rongia-KaWhia .area, including anticipated revenue from consumers. It was desired that the first instalment of the loan be £4600, and this would be used to reticulate the first six miles of line from the present terminal. In that area there were 962 dairy cows that would be milked by electric power. Mr Lethbridge commented that the whole of that area was within the Otorohanga county. Mr Matson said the settlers in the Kawhia county were keenly watching the position, for every mile of progress brought supply nearer to Kawhia.

Mr Macky considered that a very strong case had been made out for the application.