POWER FOR OPUNAKE

Taranaki Daily News, 12 October 1929, Page 14

POWER FOR OPUNAKE

REPORTS OF MONTH’S ' ACTIVITIES. MEETING OF THE BOARD. The Opunake Power Board ..received departmental reports at ita monthly meeting 7 yesterday, when there were present Messrs. G. Goodwin (chairman), W. C. Green, j, S/Tosland; C.‘O. Edmonds, 1 A. E. Collins and _W. L. F/Chambers. The secretary (Mr. J. N. Stephenson) reported that revenue for'Auguet, with the revenue for July, 1929, being shown in parentheses, was as follows: Light, £394 (£424); milking power, £69 ( £29); industrial power, £144 (£79) ; water heaters, £3l ( £30); stoves,- £B7 ( £89); street lights, £l2 ( £13); penalties, £l2 ( £13); totals, £749 ( £677). The resident engineer. (Mr. T. B. Merson) reported upon-the operations for September. The station had maintain; ed' a reliable service during'the month, neither electrical nor mechanical trouble •being experienced. Switch gear is still being overhauled as opportunity.permits. Good progress was .being made with •the switching arrangements -. for the automatic voltage regulator. This ap-: paratiis would be installed, before the dry season-commenced. : ..... ~ - . . ■>. The load on the station had reached a figure where it became' necessary tb' transfer a email portion, of the pouter, area to the bulk supply. . This .relieved ■the station on peak hours, preventing the possibility of the plant being overloaded. The demand reached at -the station was 390 k.w. (360 k.w. in'the corresponding month last year). The units generated’ for the month number-, ed 135,800 (125,900 for September, 1928, an increase of 71 per -cent.)." Mr. K. H. Cave had left the board’s/ employ, having secured a position elsewhere. A new junior had 'started -work; at the station as. a powerhouse attendant . / ’ . ' /■. -

Maintenance had been dealt with on various sections and new service connections attended to. Good, progress, was being made on the Op.urapa Road ;extensionl This construction'-would, be pushed along as rapidly as possible and a supply given before the', dry Reason' set in. On September 27 a-severe south-easterly gale struck' the whole area, necessitating the staff’s working long hours to cope with consumers’ complaints. The following connections had -.been made: Lighting points 35, heating points 12, industrial motors one i-h.p.,- one 1-h.p.;' water- heaters 2, milking motors two 2-h.p., one il-h.p., -one 1-h.p. In reply to Mr. Green the engineer stated 'that the extension of the reticulation on the upper. Kahui-Road . would be completed by the middle.-'of /November and the "upiirapa Road reticulation by the end of November.