POWER BOARD.

Timaru Herald, Volume CXXXIV, Issue 18823, 11 March 1931, Page 6

POWER BOARD.

MONTHLY MEE TING The monthly meeting of the South Canterbury Electric Power Board was held yesterday, and it was attended by Messrs J. Kennedy (chairman). C J. Talbot, E. C. Kerr, G. Dash, H u Me Donald, W. Angland, E. W. Mills, if J. Mather, A. Oakey, W. Hay man. J. South, and G. Saunders. Chairman’s Statement. The chairman in his statement said that on the 19th ult., with the engin-eer-secretary, he called on several consumers in Waimate Borough in connection with outstanding accounts, which he was pleased to say were sat isfactorily settled. The Board still had a number of interviews in other districts, which would be done during the coming month. The doubtful debts, he was pleased to say, were infinitesimal considering that the Board’s revenue, exclusive of public lighting and bulk supply, was approximately £40,000 per annum. On the way north they had inspected the layout of Marshall’s extension at Springbrook, also a proposed extension near Waslidyke to supply Mr Stocker. On sth inst., with the same officer, he visited Pleasant Point and inspected the layout of proposed alterations that would be necessary to cope with next winter’s load In the Township and surrounding district. The Pleasant Point Town Board had kindly given the Board permission, should it be found necessary, to install a small substation in a disused street. Whilst in the district, he inspected an extension recently completed for Mr Fenwick at Totara Valley. During the month he had authorised the construction of Fenwick's and Marshall’s extensions at Totara Valley and Springbrook respectively. The Geraldine and Fairlie Shows were to be held on March 26th, and April 6th, respectively, and he recommended that they give a display of appliances at both. It was not the actual sales that they were concerned with, but the attraction of public interest which led to considerable business and a larger consumption of electricity. The total debentures issued in connection with all loans to date was £324,410. Of this amount £5400 was in the advances and trading accounts, £317,435 had actually been paid away, and the balance of £1575 was represented by credit balances at the bank. The value of unissued debentures was £55,810. The sinking fund investment stood at £22,338, of which £2985 was loan money, £16,565 from revenue, and the balance was accrued interest. The money market was still favourable and they had more applications for debentures at 5i per cent., than could be granted without carrying unnecessarily large credit balances on loans. There had been no deebntures sold since last Board meeting. It had been decided that under the present economic conditions, the Power Boards’ Association, engineers’, and secretaries’ annual conferences would not be held this year, matters of importance being dealt with by the executives concerned while Parliament was in session.

Tenders. The following tenders were accepted:—Supplying two miles of hard dr&wn bare copper, National Electrical and Engineering Company, £2l/5/- per mile; supplying T.B. aerial cable, Turnbull and Jones. £ls/15/- per mile; 500, Bin. by 5-Bin. insulator pins with leather washers, J. A. Redpath and Sons, £11; supplying 1000 connectite connectors, Carrick and Wedderspoon, 6/- per dozen from stock, and 5/9 indent order; fluxite and baker’s fluid, Welsbach Light Company (combined steel and copper soldering paste), 12/per dozen half pound tins.

Engineer-Secretary’s Report. The engineer-secretary (Mr G. W. Morrison), reported that Fenwick’s extension, Totara Valley, was connected on 23rd and completed on February 27th. The staff while on this work was billeted at Mr Fenwick’s, thereby saving a considerable sum in transport and travelling time. Marshall’s extension, Springbrook, was now in hand, and should have been completed yesterday. This work had been carried out intermittently with maintenance. Both the above extensions had been erected by the permanent staff without additional labour, and would be livened up when the house installations were completed. Additional secondary mains were strung in Leonard Street, Waimate, and Pleasant Point, to supply an electric range and three h.p. motor respectively. The h.t. copper binding wires at various points in Waimate Borough were replaced by marline to eliminate wireless interference, and larger capacity coils were installed in the Borough oilswltch to cope with the increasing load. The staff had also read the whole of the Board’s meters, installed three electric ranges, one baker’s pastry oven, and strung seven services for a like number of new consumers on the existing system. The Mackenzie staff installed three lighting points and one power point. At 10-55 p.m. on February 10th, lightning shattered the main transformer fuse holders and opened all fuses in the automatic switchgear at Geraldine substation. On February 12th, at 3 p.m., the Pleasant Point feeder opened at Washdyke, disconnecting the northern sections of Levels district. The line was isolated at various points until the faulty section was located near Mr J. Stewart's, Totara Valley. Continuity of supply was restored to Pleasant Point and adjacent lines at 4.35 p.m., and to the complete line at 5.30. The fault was caused by lightning striking the Totara Valley oil switch and badly burning it, and grounding the line. The staff were kept busy until nearly midnight replacing fuses, some 60 miles of distribution being affected. A few consumers not connected by telephone were without light until the following forenoon. The same lightning storm also opened 15 fuses on the Orari Gorge and Arowhenua lines. Lightning arresters had been installed at various points where lightning was prevalent, and although lightning had been particularly bad during the past six months, it had done little damage to the Board’s distribution. To protect the whole district would cost many thousands of pounds, and this expenditure would not be justified, as the districts recently affeeted might be immune for many years. Protection was however necessary at the main substations where lightning damage might be very serious. The substations at present were protected by choke coils; these were inadequate, and therefore it was recommended that lightning arresters be installed at all main substations where the transformers were not connected by underground cable.

The advances accounts outstanding at the end of February amounted to £2161/19/7, and the amount advanced during February was £167/15/-; while the repayment totalled £B2/15/5. The position of the unexpended loan accounts was:—Geraldine, £10,200; Levels, £6590; Mackenzie, £3500; Waimate Borough, £4050; Waimate County, £8080; Waihaorunga, £19.300.