POWER BOARD

Waikato Independent, Volume XXXVII, Issue 3274, 4 March 1937, Page 4

POWER BOARD

THE MONTHLY MEETING

AMALGAMATION DISCUSSED The monthly meeting of the Cambridge Electric Power Board was held last evening, when there were present, Messrs M. Wells (chairman), W. Moore, F. Lye, J. T. Entwisle and' J. H. Brock. The secre-tary-manager (Mr F. M. Oliver) and engineer (Mr H. C. Oaten) were also in attendance. The Power Board’s Association wrote asking the board to consider using the services of a cooking demonstrator at a cost of £5 a week. The matter was deferred until after the Winter Show demonstrations. ■ Forty-hour Week 1 The Auckland Provincial Local Body Officers’ Union requested the board to observe a 40-hour week for office employees. The secretary said the objective was a universal closing down ot local body offices on Saturday mornings.

Mr Oliver said the board did considerable business on Saturday mornings and could not afford to shut. The letter was received and it was decided to take no action. Amalgamation The chairman reported on the Hamilton conference of Waikato Boards bn the matter of the Amalgamation Schemes Bill, and said the amalgamation proposals had been strongly opposed. Mr F. Lye said there had been seme feeling that the matter of amalgamation was a foregone conclusion but he had pointed out at the conference that the Bill was only in draft form, and would have to come before the House for consideration. Mr Lye said he was of opinion that the Bill aimed mainly at the amalgamation of drainage and town boards in certain areas,, and not so much at the amalgamation of power boards,

He doubted that economies to any extent would be brought about by amalgamation, and it was a fact that local government, with its greater local knowledge, was worth a great deal.

The chairman agreed with Mr Lye’s views, and said he could not do better than quote Mr Stanley Baldwin, who had, on more than one occasion, expressed the considered view that local government had done much to preserve and foster democracy within the British Empire. Engineer’s Report The engineer reported on pro gress for the month as follows: Cambridge, 731, increase of 2; Leamington, 115; country lighting and heating, 625, increase of 1; milking motors, 384, increase of 2; water heaters, 591, increase of 7; ranges, 217, increase of 3. In addition were added one separator motor and two pumps. Total connections now number 1609, a net gain of three for the period.

The inspectors made 18 tests and inspections of new work and installed 15 meters and live timeswitches. Services were run for the following: Mr Perrott, Pukekura; Mr McGovern,;Hau|npu; Mrs Cranch Cambridge; ./iilr Schmidt, Weld Street; Mr Curtain,, Queen .Street; Mr Devine, Tamahere.; Mr Monk, Cambridge; Mr : Holmes, Maungakawa. .

The water-heater relay line was extended in Qu.een Street,, also in King Street, to provide service for added water-heaters.

On the evening of Friday, 19th February, at 7 p.m., the 350 K.V.A. transformer feeding Monavale and Roto-o-rangi developed an internal fault which necessitated urgent repairs. The total load was placed on the remaining bank of 450 K.V.A. transformers and with the., addition of a 75 K.V.A. borrowed from the Central Board, it is hoped to carry on until repairs are effected, a maD ter of another fortnight. v 1 This occurrence has decided the board to push ahead with a new 11,000-volt line to serve the borough and so relieve the load on the Leamington sub-station. With this end in view, poles were laid out, along Williams Street and these are now. being armed' and gained. TfiVs‘ wliF enable the board ti> supply two transformer .areas '<;from^lhq>4 lyGOfi* volt line. When this is cbmplfeted the borough’ will-.-be entirely-.-inde-pendent of step-down transformers.