WAITOMO POWER BOARD

Waipa Post, Volume XXIV, Issue 1639, 9 May 1925, Page 5

WAITOMO POWER BOARD

STATUTQRy! MEETING. -' - , '*•

There was a full attendance of members at the statutory meeting,.Qf the Waitomo Power Board held on Thursday. : when Mr W- Lee Was* re-elected chairman,' ' . . ! •

Mr Lee, on taking the chair,, Said 'he thanked the members for their confidence and reminded them so far they had only been doing spade work hnd that the coming year would prove, perhaps, the most important of the Board’s history an! he hoped to continue to receive their support as in the past. The question of the chairman’s hon-: orarium was discussed, and it was decided to fix it at £l2O. .

A deputation of settlers of the Hutchinson settlement, Pukemapou, wait-, ed on the Board to ask when they were likely to get power. It was pointed out by the spokesman (Mr Brown) that they were only 1 h miles from the Te Awamutu Power Board district, when they could get power at once. They .had applied to the Te Awamutu Board to be linked up with them but had been told that nothing could be done, as the settlement was in the Waitomo district. What they wanted to know was, when it was likely that the Waitomo Power Board could supply. They were all dairymen (10 in number), and asked if possible to get the ‘iuice’ for the -coming season. The settlers interested were all returned soldier farmers.

It was -pointed out by the chairman that it was likely that the Waitomo Board would not be in a position to supply fob some time. There was no rate struck for that district, but it ( might be presumed that the Board ” would be in a position to supply the season after next.

In reply to Mr Lorigan, Mr Brown said there had been no representative of the Waitomo Board out to interview them so far. !

Mr Phillips said it was hardly their fault that these people were in the gosition they were. If the Te Awamtu Board had said they wanted the area in question the settlement would have beSn taken into consideration. He'thought, the Board should endeavour to keep them within its hrea and to do its best to supply the settlers as soon as possible. In the meantime he moved that the chairman, engineer and canvasser visit the area and enquire into the matter with a view to as early action as possible. ' This was carried.

In reply to a request from the Te Kuiti Chamber' of Commerce for the institution of a time whistle at the power house (to be sounded at 8 a.m. noon and 5 p.m.) it was decided to refer the matter to the engineer and ask him to give an estimate of cost and report on the question at next meeting. 1

The Board went into committee to cchisider correspondence from various sourced in regard to the finance question, and also the reports of the Finance Commitee, which upon resuming the Board adopted. The engineers, Messrs Vickerman and Lancaster, forwarded drafts of suggested by-laws.->-Discussion was deferred.

It was decided to affiliate with the Electric Power Boards’ Association the matter being left to the secretary to attend to.

'The secretary presented the stock sheet of the works as certified to by the engineer and Mr Sommerville. The total amount of the stock was shown at £671 10s 2d. The clerk was instructed to submit the sheet to the engineer for certification. The report of the engineers in re' gard to the result of the canvassing for guarantees from proposed users of power was read, discussed and adopted. The chairman reported that he had authorised the secretary to. obtain poles for the extension of the power service to the new Te Kuiti hospital. —The chairman’s action was endorsed, the poles to be standard. The proposed agreement between Messrs Vickerman and Lancaster, engineers, and the Board was read and discussed,' the final alterations to be left to the chairman, Mr Phillips and the secretary to deal with.

The agreement between the Te Kuiti Borough Council and the Board for the purchase of the Borough’s electric plant was also read and adopted.

The resident engineer reported on the work done during the month. Amongst other things the report stated that the P.W.D. had notified that the main sub-station would be on the Waitomo road near the Caves’ corner, and not at the Hangatiki corner as shown on the map. This would alter the lay out of the Board’s lines slightly. As requested an inspection had been made of the new wiring in the Farmers’ Trading Co’s buildings in Otorohanga, the job being quite a good one and complies with the Board’s bylaws except in a few minor points. However, they (the engineers) had declined to test and pass the work until these small defects had been cleared up and the matetr of licenses foi the contractor and the men who have done the work has been settled. The canvasser, reporting to the engineer (Mr Ranger) stated that he had visited) 39 settlers in the Otorohanga district (M) and obtained 20 guarantees amounting to £386 10s. He had visited six farmers who have been prepared to guarantee £l2 for house consumption only, not wishing to take power for their machines. He had told these people that the signing of this guarantee would not necessarily ensure their being connected to the supply’and that in the event of their decision at a later date -to take power for milking purposes, a further guarantee to that effect must first be sighed before such power will be supplied. The report further stated that he had met with considerable opposition in some groups, especially in those close to the Te Awamutu Board’s area, but after going into each detail carefully he had been successful in securing guarantees in most cases. He hoped to get the Otorohanga (M) line definitely arranged as far as it is possible in the early part of next week, and feels confident of obtaining the required guarantee for that time. The reports were adopted.

It was decided, on the motion of Mr Phillips, that the Board do all wiring work where possible rather than allow outside firms to do it. The secretary reported that there were fully a dozen meters required in

the borough, many large houses being in course of erection. It was suggested that the minimum should be raised and this be the charge on all houses without meters. After discussion it was left to the manager to draw up a scheme whereby the necessity of a meter could be obviated.