POWER SUPPLY.

Wairarapa Age, 19 June 1936, Page 2

POWER SUPPLY.

MEETING OF WAIRARAPA BOARD. (“The Age” Special.) The monthly meeting of the Wairarapa Power Board was held yesterday, Mr. A. C. Pearce presiding. The Secretary-Manager, Mr. G. Brown, reported that the revenue returns for May were satisfactory, the actual revenue, £3992 4s 4d, being £3 15s 8d less than the estimate. The installation department was busier than it had been for some years and additional wiremen had had to be employed to eope with the work. The number of consumers was now 5177. The value of installation work carried out for the first two months of the year was £995 7s lid, as compared with £374 7s for the same period last year. A start had been made on the Awhea Road extension and all material ordered some considerable time ago had come to hand with the exception of poles and cross arm timber.' There appeared to have been an unexpected increase in line construction work throughout New Zealand and the timber organisations did not appear to have been able to eope with the sudden demands for poles and cross arm timber. A shipment of poles arrived this week and another shipment was due to leave Australia this week. The indications Were that within the next two or three weeks the position regarding supplies should be satisfactory. The capital expenditure for the first two months of the year was £617 19s lOd. Accounts amounting to £16,313 14s 3d were passed.

The matter of probable increases in salaries and wages owing to new legislation was discussed. The secretarymanager stated that the 40 hour week was easily workable with the general staff but with linesmen, troublemen and power station employees it would be difficult, and the extra staff necessary would be likely to cost the board another £2OOO per annum. The board authorised the raising of a loan of £2500 at 3} per cent, for 20 years for the purpose of'extending the distribution lines 8} miles along Awhea Road. It was stated that the lower dam at Kourarau was to be emptied on July 13 when a start would be made to remove debris.