ELECTRICAL WIRING

Taranaki Daily News, 22 June 1935, Page 10

ELECTRICAL WIRING

QUESTION OF RE-INSPECTION. NOTIFICATION BY DEPARTMENT. Re-inspections of electrical wiring were for the purpose of discovering and having removed any electrical hazards and not for the purpose of bringing every installation up to the standards set for new installations, wrote the chief electrical engineer of the Public Works Department, Mr. F. T. M. Kissel, to the South Taranaki Electric Power Board. The letter stated that from recent reported statements the board seemed to be under the impression that a licencee was not responsible for the reinspections of consumers’ installations. The chairman of the board, the letter said, had been reported as stating that the board’s inspectors were under the control of the department, but . the letter stated that the board was no doubt aware that the regulation requiring the inspection of a consumer’s installation was a statutory obligation on all electrical supply authorities, and it was therefore incumbent on each supply authority to have its own inspectors. The same regulation ’applied with equal force to the Public Works Department when acting in the capacity of a supply authority. The chairman, Mr. J. B. Murdoch, said that at his request an electrical inspector from the Public Works Department had spent two days in the district, and his report upon re-inspections of electrical installations should be to hand shortly. It appeared, he said, that hazardous work had to '-be done, but other work, though advocated, was left to the discretion of the person concerned. Mr. j. W. Snowdon expressed doubt that there were two classes, hazardous and discretionary, but the chairman said that as he understood the position there were two -classes. ; ' Several members expressed the opinion that it was a pity the ruling had/ not been. received before. Consumers' felt there had been some harshness.