POWER BOARD MEETS AND REVIEWS YEAR.

Star (Christchurch), Issue 19075, 21 May 1930, Page 5

POWER BOARD MEETS AND REVIEWS YEAR.

AFFAIRS IN NORTH CANTERBURY REVIEWED, j The North Canterbury Electric Power ! Board met yesterday at Rangiora: present—Messrs IT. Tallott (chairman), J. Fitzpatrick, J. IX Wyllie, A. Baxter, T). R. Hutchison, L. B. Evans and A. M. Carpenter. Air J. R. Templin, consulting engineer to the board, was also prestent. The Public Works Department wrote forwarding a copy of the Gazetted proclamation extending the board’s urea, and stating that no alteration in the representation was required. It was decided to apply to the Local Government Loan Board for authority to borrow £15,000 for reticulation purposes in the Eyre and Oxford Counties. The Auditor-General forwarded a copy of the board’s balance-shetet for the year ended March 31, 1929, certified as correct. The balance-sheet was adopted, and a motion passed congratulating the staff in preparing u balance-sheet free from tags. The engineer-secretary, Mr A. Buckingham, reported as follows on work carried out during the past month: The first wiring gang have been engaged on reconstruction on the Sefton-Tuabiwi lines near Five Road Ends. The Sefton feeder will run direct from Dempter’s corner to Five Road Ends and round to Gresson’s Road. The Tuahiwi line has been reconstructed for 11,000 volts and the poles for a 11,000-3300 volt substation erected at Five Road Ends. An 11,000-volt extension has been poled along Gresson’s Road to the Alain North Road to feed the high-tension line running down the Alain North Road. A set of piles has beten driven in the Ashley River at the Loburh crossing, and the supporting structure and poles erected, so that this crossing is completed. The high-tension line feeding the shingle plants at White’s Bridge has been reconstructed, and the old transformer station dismantled. Additional low-tension has beten run there to pick up three new consumers. The second wiring gang has completed Larsen’s extension at Swannar.oa, which has been cut into service. Work lias been done on treefelling and trimming in the Oxford County and In West Eyreton. A hightension service line has been run at ITorrelvllle to supply a ntew consumer and several services run at Oxford. The Balcairn sub-station is completed. A start will be made with the installation of the switch gear as soon as the Five Road Ends sub-station is completed. Mr Buckingham also reported as follows on the result of the investigation of the proposed Oxford-Cooper's Creek extension: This is an extension from the end of thte present line at West Oxford, and follows the Main Road to th© Cooper’s Creek Post Office. The estimate includes also two small branch lines:—Length of line 5.65 miles, estimated capital expenditure £1154; revenue guaranteted £157, deficit £ls, and consumers IS. It will be noticed that the guarantees are short of the required revenue. I think this Is due to the particularly bad period that the farmers, especially in this district, are experiencing. Only eighteen residents have signed up, but there are a further twenty on this line who cannot see their way to sign up at present, although some of these admit that they would take supply were conditions normal. I have allowed for aluminium wire for the main high-tension line to Cooper’s Creek Hall, although a steel wire line would be sufficient for this district alone. This is done for the benefit of those people beyond Cooper’s Creek in the board’s new area. I would recommend the board to authorise construction. The report was adopted. The outside superintendent, Mr J. C. Hancox, reported that, during April, eighteen new consumers were connected and eleven installations extended. The connections included nine ranges, five water-heaters and eight motors. Sixty-four faults and consumers’ complaints were dealt with by the faultTho inspector-salesman, Mr H. J. Olsen, stated that, besides small appliances, six ranges and sevten waterheaters had been sold. The financial statement showed receipts for the month amounting to £7046 0s 30d in the loan account and £2850 6s lid in the power fund account, leaving credit balances of £6365 13s lOd and £3987 4s 4d respectively. Accounts amounting to £1239 7s 6d on the loan account and £I33S 11s 9d on the power fund account werte passed for payment. It was decided to send remits to the Power Supply Authorities’ Conference dealing with the cost of shifting poles at the request of other local bodies, and seteking statutory authority for the investment of depreciation fund moneys in ordinary trustete securities. The Public Works Department wrote agreeing to make a reduction on the cost of current l'or the past year on account of the line losses from Addington. Authority was given the engineersecretary to investigate possible extensions in the Mount Thomas Riding of the Ashley County. It was resolved that the supply of current to the Bandroom at Oxford be at a minimum charge of £2 2s per year. ANNUAL REPORT. The engineer-secretary submitted the following report on the second year of the hoard’s operations:—The construction programme commenced during the preceding ninte months of the board’s operations has been actively carried on, and is now substantially completed. At the beginning of the year, the board had just switched on the power to the Oxford township. The main construction scheme, linking up the Oxford and Ashley Counties, as well as new areas in the Eyre and Rangiora Counties, has now passed from the construction to the operating stage. The investigation and canvassing of new lines has been very successful, showing that the new consumers are satisfied that the board’s guarantee system of financing lines is sound. The increase in revenue is substantial and augurs well for future prospterity. In the future the increase in the number of consumers will be only the normal Increase to he expected. During the present year a strong effort should be made to increase the consumption of current by existing consumers, particularly for domestic purposes. Any further substantial increases in revenue can be obtained only by concentrating on the sale of electrical appliances, and by demonstrating the many advantages of electric service. The policy is doubly necessary as members will realise also that it is vital that consumers on guaranteed lines should be using current, at least up to the amount of their guarantees, and this is just as important with the small guarantees as with the larger ones. The satisfactory results from the board's trading department will bo seen by reference to the inspector-sales-man’s report and the connected load returns for the year show the value cf this department.

As a rtesult of inquiries by a number of residents in the board’s outer area in the Oxford and Eyre Counties, a petition was circulated to have the board’s present areas enlarged so as to be able to give supply to this district. This area, involving the remainder of the Oxford County excepting Lee’s Valley and a portion of the Eyre County, south of thte Eyre River, has been Gazetted part of the board’s inner area. Application is being made to the Local Government Loans Board for approval of a proposed loan of £15,000 to reticulate the district. FINANCIAL POSITION. The original loan authorised by the board’s ratepayers was £160,300, of which £49,550 was provided in order to take over the existing loan liabilities of the counties and £110,450 to develop the board’s system. On March 31, 1930, the loans authorised by the board totalled £146,850, of which £132,050 had actually been raised under the following

The amount of loan moneys raised during the past year was £37,200, and the credit balance at the bank on Alarch 31 was £lOl2 6s 3d. The board will have sufficient capital under the original loan authority to complete the work in sight, and to fully develop the system, particularly as the loan expenditure givten above includes expenditure on reticulation system together with value of construction and trading stocks on hand, amounts outstanding on block tender, financial assistance and sundry debtors. The revenue for the year from the sale of current, etc., was £19,141 3s 6d. made up as follows:—Domestic £7972 19s, commercial £1154 12s 2d, power £9170 2s Id. public lighting £499 Bs, and sundries £344 2s 3d: total £19,141 3s 6d. The expenditure for the year was £15,154 10s lid, leaving a gross credit balance of £3986 12s 7d. These returns do not take into account the results of the hoard’s trading dteparlrnent, nor has provision for depreoietion been made, as depreciation does not have to be met by payment in cash. The board's accumulated sinking fund now stands at £6367, the depreciation fund at £2472, and a further sum of £IOOO lias been placed on fixed deposit.

ESTIMATES FOR 1930-31. It is estimated that the revenue for I the coming - year will be £22,500, while the expenditure will be approximately £20,500, mad's up as follows:—lnterest and sinking fund £7SOO, cost of power £S4OO, and general operating expenses £4300; total £20,500. CONSTRUCTION WORK. The past year has been busy, the following principal districts being linked , up;—Oxford County (completed), West ; Eyreton, Horrelville, Swannanoa, Clarkville, Coutts Island, Waikuku Beach, Lo- ; burn. Whiterock, Springbank, Summerhill, and Hay lands. Many extensions have been built from lines already constructed. All the high tension lines in the Eyre County have been changed over from 3300 volts to 11,000 volts, and the old Public Works Department feeder from Butcher’s Ford Lo Wilson’s Siding • and sub-station has been dismantled. | The activities of the Waimakariri River j Truth, the Waimakariri bridge contrac- * tor and the several road construction \ contractors have called for the. | of many lines. The board’s reticulation system is completed except for two or threv* possible extensions in the north- ) ern part of the Kowai County, and work I to be done in the board’s newly-acquired area. A commencement has been made . in reconstructing the old lines taken over from the Rangiora County. The following details will show the extent of the work carried out by the board to date: ■ 1928-29. Nine 1929months. 30. Total. Miles of pole-line 47 108 155 Number of poles .. 1035 „ 2 ~33 - Miles of wire .... lSi.5 411 oUS.o Number of transformers 4S 130 ITS formers 356 990 13od Number of con- _ turners added .. 013 OPERATION. Supply from the Lake Coleridge system has been fairly well maintained, one serious outage on our feeder occurring duo to a wind storm. A number of interruptions, due to trouble on the whole CoVeridga system, occurred in January. The high maximum demand recorded caused serious concern, but this has been adjusted by the Public Works Department. The revised maximum demand figures in K.V.A. are:—Quarter ended June 30. 1929, 1004: quarter ended September 30, 1929, 792; quarter ended December 31. 1929, 770: quarter ended March 31. 1930, 1072; total units supplied by Dake Coleridge to the board, 3.681,416. The sub-station at Southbrook was completed and the switch-gear installed. The Public Works Department supply was given to the sub-station on October 20. Shortly afterwards, the Department installed an induction voltage regulator, since which the supply voltage has been satisfactory The five 11,000-volt outgoing feeders from this sub-station are equipped with automatic reclosing switches, which are wording satisfactorily, and should materially lessen interruptions to the board s 11,000volt supply systtem. A sub-station equipped with similar automatic switchgear has been erected at Balcairn for the 6600-volt supply area above Balcairn, and I hope to cut this station into service at an early date. All. the largest nower consumers have either installed or are installing condensers for power factor improvement. This will he.p tn reduce the maximum demand, but the board will itself require to instal similar condensers in various parts of its distribution system. The Cust flour mill was destroyed by fire, and the board lost thereby one of its largest consumers. This loss lias been offset by the supply taken by the British Pavements, Ltd., plant at Waikuku. The report was adopted, and satisfaction expressed at its comprehensiveOUTSIDE SUPERINTENDENT S REPORT. The outside superintendent reported that the number of new consumers connected during the year was 379, making a total of 1397. The connected load at the beginning of the year was 4415.507 k.w., and during the year was increased by 2981.704 k.w., an increaes of 44.08 made up as follows:

During the year 94 ranges and 81 water-heaters, 13 milking motors and 148 motors for general purposes, were connected. The report was adopted. INSPECTOR-SALESMAN’S REPORT. The decision to engage in the pale of ranges and appliances has met with the approval of the consumers. We have taken pains to start new consumers off on the right lines with electric cooking, and all have been pleased. Of the total number of ranges sold by - the board to date, «we have had to renew only seven defective elements. Some installations completed by our staff are worthy of special mention, the largest being the British Pavement’s plant at Waikuku, where the wiring for one 35 h.p. motor, two 25 h.p. motors, one 20 h.p. motor, one 7i h.p. motor, one 5 h.p. and four smaller motors was installed. The heating of a glasshouse was carried out. Two rather unusual applications of electricity were introduced for the incubation and rearing of chickens, and proved satisfactory. Before vacating the chair, Mr IL Tallott thanked the members for the cordial support accorded him during his term of office. At the annual meeting of the board held subsequently, and attended by the same members, Mr Tallott was re-elect-ed to the position of chairman, and Mr D. R. Hutchison was elected deputychairman. It was decided that the whole board constitute the Works and Finance Committee, and Messrs Hutchison and Carpenter be a sub-committee to check accounts.

Loan. Authorised. Raised. Int „ . , £ 1 p.c Counties’ section 40,850 40,850 — Issue No. 1 . . 40,000 4 0,000 CJ Issue No. 2 . . 20,000 20,000 5* Issue No. 3 . . 20,000 20,000 5J Issue No. 4 .. 12,000 800 B?j Issue No. 5 .. 5,000 1,400 5$ £146,850 £132,050

Street lighting: Lighting Heating Power Cooking Water-heating 1929. 11. 6 391.5 1077. S 1099.5 215.4 31.1 1930. 12.9 544.6 1719.1 1249.0 864.0 182.6 Inc. 1.3 153.1 641.3 149.5 645.6 151.8 Itangiora 2826.9 1028.7 4572.4 1242.4 1745.5 213 7 Kainpoi a7n.8 Waimairi — 6.b 6.6 4415.5 6397.2 1981.7