POWER POLES

Timaru Herald, Volume CXLIII, Issue 20672, 10 March 1937, Page 5

POWER POLES

WOOD OR CONCRETE? DISCUSSION BY BOARD Which is the more economic method of reticulating a power supply area—by hardwood or by concrete poles? This question was considered by the South Canterbury Electric Power Board yesterday, when it was decided to await the results of an experiment to be conducted by the Timaru Borough Council. Present: Messrs G. Dash (chairman), S. I. Fitch, C. E. Kerr, K. Mackenzie, A. W. Buzan, J. R. Hart, B. R. Macdonald, G. Saunders and F. J. Cook. The chairman outlined the results of inquiries he had made at the request of Mr C. E. Kerr. The Central Hawke’s Bay Power Board had received a report on concrete poles from its secre-tary-manager in April 1936, who recommended that the matter of locally built concrete poles as against imported wooden poles receive earnest consideration. The Board had since decided to use them as more lasting and employing New Zealand labour. The Wanganui Rangetiki Power Board engineer wrote in April last that his board had over a thousand concrete poles in use. These they manufactured themselves and reported as at the end of eight years service, showing no visible signs of depreciation of any kind. The Hutt Valley Power Board engineer wrote that they they were giving a trial to concrete poles, but had only two years experience with them. Mr Dash said he had learned that the Timaru Borough electrical engineer was about to conduct experiments with beach shingle and sand in concrete pole building and would be glad to keep the Board informed. Concrete Ultimately Cheaper “It is certain that the concrete pole is less costly than timber ultimately, though dearer to buy,” said Mr Dash. “It is certain that there are behind the concrete pole, thirty years of usage and history. It is certain that the pole is becoming more popular as it becomes more improved and it is certain that in New Zealand, power boards are making these poles and using them, while manufacturers of concrete pipes and the like are making the concrete power and telegraph pole commercially and successfully. The Timaru Borough engineer’s experiments then are timely for this Board and should be carefully studied.”

Mr Buzan described the new vibration process used by the Public Works Department at Temuka and said he was sure the resident engineer (Mr T. G. Beck), would be willing to give any information the Board wanted.

The engineer (Mr G. W. Morrison) stated that unless the Board required about 2000 poles the scheme would be uneconomic. An initial outlay of £lOOO would be necessary and the work would entail a full-time job for a gang of about 17 men. It was not just a case of making ordinary concrete poles, for differences in stress and tension had to be allowed for as they were in hardwood poles.

It was pointed out by Mr C. E. Kerr that the Board had about 20,000 poles in South Canterbury and estimating them at an average value of £2 each, it was obvious that a sum of £40,000 had gone out of the country in hardwood poles. If concrete poles were used that money would remain in the country. A committee comprising the chairman, Messrs Kerr, J. R. Hart and A W. Buzan was appointed to watch the experiments to be conducted by the Timaru Borough Council. Extension Granted On the recommendation of the General Committee an extension at Waitohi, representing a capital investment of £144 with a guaranteed revenue of £2 a month, was granted. A statement of receipts and payments showed a cash balance in the Power Fund of £2621 and £661 in the Advances Account. Advances to loans amounted to £9685.