COLERIDGE POWER.

Timaru Herald, Volume XCVIII, Issue 18084, 10 June 1924, Page 6

COLERIDGE POWER.

SUPPLY STILL UNSATISFACTORY

Mr G. T. Wilson, Borough Electrical Engineer, reported to the. Borough Council last niglu as follows: The Coleridge supply was unsatisfactory during -Uay, no lower than 26 interruptions being experienced. These necessitated the running ol the Bor-■-n plant for 5(3 hours and (35 minutes. This does not include peak load reducing, but to avoid long interruptions. The total time Colenuge supply has n off during the month is tsU hours 30 minuLcs, nours oi winch was by arrangement to en'uolo alterations to be made to switch gear; therefore deducting the 32 hours from So£ hours, the supply was off through line troubles 48J- hours for 29 days. 1 must emphatically protest against no Department’s charge* for current. They make no allowance for those annoying interruptions other than the 10 per cent, for stand-by. ' This does not pay even stand-by charges. However, assuming it did, we* should be recompensed for having to actually run the plant for 56 hours 35 minutes in one month, owing to the supply failing and being cut off, when the Public Works Department ask for only 100 hours during the year. We have been off over 200 hours m six months, and if this state of affairs continues, it will not only be more reliable to generate our own requirements, but be more economical. I had tlie Power House plant standby ready every night last week, part of it coupled up with the Coleridge supply and when the latter failed, it bumped our own plant out, and to avoid this I ran our own plant on Friday (the late night) from 4.30 p.m., to 10 p.m., independent of Coleridge, so as to avoid any interruptions. I will run our own plant during June for the business area, and only take Coleridge for the outskirts and residential supply. This will guarantee* a continuous supply in the main street, and be as economical or even more so than the supply has been lately. I also wish the Council to urge the Public .Works Department to reconstruct the line from Coleridge to Ti* maru, using only suspension type .insulators. This will be much safer and more reliable and cost a great deaf less than a duplicate line built as the -prosent one is onstructed. If the Publio Works Department will do this a reliable supply may be assured. Further I respectfully request that any proposed battery stand-by will receive careful consideration, as this scheme will undoubtedly more than pay for itself and insure us against any . minor stoppage*