POWER FOR OPUNAKE

Taranaki Daily News, 11 March 1933, Page 13 (Supplement)

POWER FOR OPUNAKE

REVENUE WELL MAINTAINED FURTHER SILTING OF THE LAKE. MONTHLY MEETING OF THE BOARD. The monthly meeting of the Opunake Power Board was held yesterday, there being present Messrs. Geo. Goodwin (chairman), J. S. Tosland, R. P. Fleming, E. A. Collins and C. O. Edmonds. The secretary (Mr. J. N. Stephenson) reported that revenue for January was as follows, the figures for the corresponding month last year being shown in parentheses:—Light, £413 Ils. lid. (£4Ol Bs. 6d.); stoves, £92 os. Bd. (£B5 13s. 4d.); industrial power, £155 Ils. sd. (£147 10s. 7d.); milking power, £519 4s. 4d. (£495 13s. 6d.); water heater®, £6B 19s. 4d. (£74 12s. 2d.); street lights, £l2 19s. 4d. (£l2 13s. 4d.); penalties, £l2 4s. lOd. (£l6 4s. 10d.); total, £1274 ss. lOd. (£1233 16s. 3d.); rebates, £125 os. 3d.; net revenue, £1149 ss. 7d. Revenue for the months April, 1932, to January, 1933, inclusive, was £10,951 and rebates granted amounted to £677, resulting in a net total of £10,274. Revenue for the corresponding period in 1931-32 was £10,855. Cash received on account of sale of current during February was £l2lB 13s. Id. (revenue £1149).

The clause validating matters in connection with the board’s overdraft was included in a supplement to the Local Registration Bill, and a draft of the proposed clause was forwarded a few days before the Bill was brought down. While very little had been made public regarding the proposed reduction of 20 per cent, in interest the secretary z considered that the board should urge upon the Government that any. reduction made should apply to loans domiciled outside New Zealand also. INTEREST BENEFITS. The secretary stated that providing there were no exemptions the heard would benefit to the extent of £6OO per annum. The board had raised some of its money in Australia. Mr. Tosland said that though the legislation reducing interest was two years overdue the council should pass a resolution congratulating the Government on bringing, down such legislation. The council had passed resolutions asking the government to reduce the interest.

The chairman considered the resolution might be a little premature as it might be found that the Opunake Power Board might not benefit greatly. It was resolved that the secretary should submit a report at the next meeting showing the saving that would result to the board, when the matter will be discussed.

The engineer (Mr. D. Fraser) reported that units generated at the power station in February were 124,800, with a maximum demand of 450 k.w. The figures for the same period last year were units generated 124,000, the maximum load being 470 k.w. The Diesel engine ran 97 hours with a fuel consumption of 594 gallons, as compared with 112 hours and 1033 gallons of fuel oil in February, 1932. Bulk power was taken from New Plymouth on 22 days, that being the same as for February of last. year. - The power house plant had run without fault The Diesel cylinder heads were removed and the tops of the pistons decarbonised. The increased flow of the Waiau over the previous month was responsible for the decrease in the running hours of the Diesel plant. SILTATION OF THE LAKE. The engineer inspected the lake in company with Mr. Edmonds, when the lake was at a very low level, and both were of the opinion that the top end near the head race was gradually silting up. He thought that most of the silt was deposited before the sluice gate, was fitted in the weir where the water enters the head race. Approximately 18 months ago the height of the lake was raised ten inches, which more than supplemented the water space that had been filled up with silt. On tests taken it had been proved that the extra ten inches of water' over file whole area of the lake was of more value for power generation than the whole lake working at the original level. In the evenings when most people viewed the lake it had very often dropped two feet on account of the heavy draw-off at the power house during the day, and at that level the lake looked to be badly silted up. With the lake filled to the present level the water backed up the head-race right to the river, reducing the speed of the water flowing down the race, with the result that a great quantity of the silt settled in the river instead of being washed into the lake. The engineer had made a survey of the proposed extension to the Kaweora Road camp. The distance from the end of the existing lines to the camp is l‘j miles. It would be necessary to construct one mile of h.t. line with transformer and fittings and half a mile of secondary line which would entail a considerable expenditure. Installations connected during the month were as follow (the figures for the corresponc/ag period last year being shown in parentheses: Lighting points 13 (5), heating 5 (6), water 1 (1), field pumps 1 (1), alterations and additions 5 (7). Two new and 7 of the existing installations had been tested. It was decided to take no action with regard to the installation of power at the Kaweora camp. Suggestions for clearing the lake of silt will be considered next month on receipt of a further report from the engineer. The Under-Secretary of the Department of Internal Affairs (Mr. Malcolm Fraser) forwarded copies of the draft clause which was being included in the local legislation Bill relative to the board’s overdraft of £3600. As the result of consultations with the Treasury and the Public Works Department it had been decided to. insert an additional clause to the effect that the amount to be repaid each year was to be fixed by the Local Government Loans Board, the minimum repayment being, £5OO per annum, but providing that the amount must still be liquidated within five years, so that if less than one-fifth was repaid in any year the amount would have to be made up in subsequent years.