PIONEER IN ELECTRICITY

Taranaki Daily News, 22 November 1929, Page 13

PIONEER IN ELECTRICITY

LIGHTING 28 YEARS AGO PATEA BOROUGH HYDRO SCHEME. A PROFITABLE BUSINESS. /atea was first lighted by electricity in 1901—28 years ago. The Patea Borough Council was thus the first local body in New Zealand to adopt this form of illuminant. Two years later Bluff Borough Council adopted electricity, but it was not until 1904 .that the Christ: church City Council established an electricity scheme, and it was.a year later that the Inglewood Borough Council inaugurated its electric scheme. Although electricity had been discussed in Patea in 1882, it was not until July 24, 1899, that active steps were taken. On that, date, a special meeting was held to consider a report of the works committee regarding a scheme for electric lighting. At the next monthly meeting it was resolved to raise a special loan of £2500 for the purpose of generating electricity, payment to be secured by the revenue from the scheme, the ordinary borough revenue and a special rate of Gd in the £1 as well. On November 6 the resolution was confirmed and a public meeting was called for December 29 to consider the proposals. In the following July it was decided to obtain plans and specifications from Mr. Turnbull and in September the' loan money became available. Early in January, 1901, Mr. Fairhall made a survey of the creek and dam, which was to supply the motive power, and the amount of land it would be necessary to purchase from Mr. Honeyfield. Eventually it was decided not to buy but to lease five acres at a rental of £5 per annum with the right of purchase at £lOO. The stream used is the Kaikura, running down to the sea near the township of Kitkaramea. Quite insignificant looking, with the aid of dams it is able to supply the requirements of the town for most of the year. At the cliff face a fall of 78 feet is obtained, the powerhouse being located near the foreshore. In July, 1903, it was decided to lease Mr. E. L. Payne’s dam higher upstream at the back of the present Kakaramea dairy factory. The term was for five years and the rental £25 per annum. A purchasing clause gave the right to buy at £5OO, this option being subsequently exercised. In addition to the hydro plant of 120 h.p. there is also a Diesel engine standby generating 115 h.p. The total capital cost of both ie only £lO,BOO, including 13 miles of transmission and distributing lines. ‘ POWERHOUSE FLOODED. The scheme supplies a population of 1800, the number of actual consumers being 310, or 17 per cent, of the population. Last year 273,282 units were generated and 232,955 sold. ' ' The jjercentage of iintW'kh’cHCe units only

14.8, which is 12 per cent, below the average for this class of station. The total revenue for the financial year was £2774. .The actual working costs were £1570, and after. paying interest and sinking fund on capital there was last year a. net surplus of £739. Not a penny of revenue was derived from rates. The total profits from the electrical business amount to about £2OOO. The following table shows the manner in which the current has been disposed of and the respective revenue, derived:—

There is much scope for development in electric ranges and water-heaters, the number at present being only 2.8 per cent, and 1.61 per cent, of the total consumers respectively. An increase in this direction would, however, over-tax the capacity of the plant, and additional power would have to be bought in bulk from the Government. Whether this would be profitable to the borough is uncertain, as it is doubtful whether Government supply would be as cheap per unit as that generated by the local plant, the working costs of which are but l.Cd per unit sold.. The retail charges for electricity are on the following basis: Lighting 81d and 6Jd; heating and cooking, 4d and 3d; power, 3 9-10 d and Id. The history of the electric works has not been without incident, some of it of a serious nature. In October, 1920, the dam gave way, sweeping everything before it. The powerhouse was wrecked and two attendants, Messrs. McDonald and Mitchell, had a very narrow escape, being swept out by the rushing waters. Early in 1921 the gas engine plant blew out, causing considerable loss. Ultimately a new turbine was installed at the headworks and a Diesel engine supplanted the inefficient gas engine. The dam was re-built, the whole expenditure being covered by a loan of £5OOO. In 1926 a further loan of £3OOO was raised for electrical extensions. The first electrical engineer was Mr. A. Roberts, who was appointed at a salary of £l7O per annum, his assistant receiving £5O. The following is a list of past and present electrical engineers: Messrs. A. Roberts, W. Ormrod, H. Priestly, F. G. Davies, T. Crowley, H. F. McLeod, and D. Fraser. The first engineer, Mr. Roberts, later went Home and distinguished himself as the inventor of various mechanical and electrical contrivances, including the automatic man and a method of wireless control of aeroplanes.

MISSIONS AMONG THE MAORIS. METHODIST WORK AT PATEA. SPREADING THE GOSPEL. The influence of Methodist missions among the Maoris has been considerable in the Patea district, which has been the headquarters of missioners since I'BB7,'when the Rev. T. G. Hammond took on the ' •!<.' ■ F ‘i • •

The first mission work was commenced by an emancipated slave, William Naylor, who endeavoured to spread the Gospel and had churches erected near Manutahi and Manawapou. The Rev. M. Skevington was the.first white missionary in the district. He worked from a settlement on the Waimate Plains and travelled all over the country. During the Maori War William Naylor joined the rebel Natives, disapproving of the policy of . the Government, but he was killed in battle. Mr. Skevington, who with a number of Natives had been attending; a church conference in Auckland, died suddenly after preaching in the old High Street church. Among Mr. Skevington’s party of Natives was the young Titokowaru, who afterwards became so hostile to the Europeans. The Rev. Mr. Woon succeeded Mr. Skevington, and the Rev. Wm. Hough was the next to take charge of-the work, He was followed by the Revs. Stannard, Wm. Kirk and W. J. Watkin. But in 1868 war broke out.and Mr. Watkin was compelled to abandon his mission work and retire to Wanganui. For nearly 20 years mission efforts were practically at a standstill until the arrival of Mr. Hammond. Most of the Natives in the meantime had forsaken Christianity, and opposition to Mr. Hammond’s efforts was strong for some considerable time. Eventually, however, this grew weaker, and Christianity w..s embraced by larger numbers of the Maori population.

In 1966 the Rev. Robert Haddon was appointed to. assist Mr. Hammond and to-day' he and his son the Rev. O .T. Haddon are carrying on the mission work among the Natives of the district. The residence of the early missionaries still stands at Patea in the centre of the town, an old two-storey gable building. It possesses some very elaborate carving work on the mantel-pieces and bookcases, an example of the craftsmanship of the days where time and bustle were not considered so important as they are to-day. ' The Patea district is one of great historical interest from the Maori point of view and it is still populated by a large number of the Native race. Much of interest to ethnologists has yet to be recorded of this part, and Maori scholars are at work delving into the past with a view to unearthing valuable Native history. The whole countryside has much to yield in this respect, and in the future there may be unfolded more of the interesting life story of our Native brethren and their adaptation to European ivilisation and religion.

Units. Revenue. £ Street lighting ... .. 23,600 150 Domestic use .... .. 115,297 1943 Motors .. 43,890 .. 50,168 402 Other purposes ... 279 -TTotals ...... .. 232,955 2774