WAIRARAPA POWER BOARD.

Wairarapa Daily Times, 9 December 1925, Page 3

WAIRARAPA POWER BOARD.

MONTHLY MEETING. (Sjieeixi 1 to ‘‘Daily Times.”) Tlui Wa.i aia jet Power Hoard met at Canerton \ esierday, it being the first meeting 01 tee r-oard in its new ollicis. Present: Messrs. .). \V. Kershaw, D. McLaehlan, K. .J. King, A. C. Pearce, \V. Benton, \V. A. 'rate, J. C. cooper and i. V. Moore. Tho treasurer reported reeipts for the month: Local debentures, £lwdt; sundry drs., consumers £24u.S s.-i Id, ' street lighting £lb .17s 7d, installations ill odd Ids 7d, other receipts £309 18s Id; total £4BBB 17h 4d. Payments: Salaries and wages £2291) TBs, stores £1376 IBs Btl, other payments, £2457 2s 7d; total, £6333 J7s lid. Accounts totalling £93.14 14s 9d were passed for payment. The Finance Committee recommended; (1) That a farther loan of £IO,OOO, being the 'balance of the 10 per cent, additional loan of £26,000, be raised immediately. (2) That a further £IO,OOO of the installation loan be raised by the issue of (> per cent, debentures with a currency of five years. (3) That the loans in the outer area be raised as soon as possible. 'The secretary reported having inspected the steel brushes which were in very fair condition and only slightly touched with rust. They did not appear to have come in direct contact with salt water, the damage appearing to bo the result of steam. The assessor allowed 50 per cent, off cost price, and the brushes are now in Masterton, and have been cleaned and oiled. Fresh brushes have been cabled for. Tho Board’s proposals for electricity for general purposes for the Masterton Hospital have been improved by the ’Public. Works Department. The Tauranga Hospital Board have had some trouble with an electrification, and this has caused the Masterton Board to delay making a decision until the end of .January. It is understood that the Tauranga installation was of a temporary nature, and the proper appliances are now being installed. Two members of the Hospital Board are to visit Tauranga.—The engineer and manager were 'appointed to accompany the deputation- as Power Board representatives.

During tho month representatives of the Board attended meetings at Pirinoa in connection with installing of motors for driving lime crushing machines, and it was decided to ask Mr. Climie to report on the whole scheme. 'Meetings were held at Belvedere in connection with the reticulation, of Belvedere, Haringa and Huninua roads. The meeting was not very encouraging, and the secretary reported that there does seem to be cpiite a reasonable chance of an extension being made along the Belvedere road from Chester road to serve tho factory and the northern end of the Hururua road. A further canvass of these districts is going to be made. A conference was held at Palmerston North on December Ist in connection with the award applied for by tho Wanganui Linesmen’s Union. It was realised by the delegates present that the matter had gone too far for the other power boards in the Wellington industrial district to expect further exemption, and it was finally decided to make i application for an ‘award to cover the whole of such district.

The secretary drew attention to the very satisfactory and intelligent service rendered by the Telephone Department of the Post and 'Telegraph Department in the case of a breakdown or trouble on the lines. There is no doubt at all, stated the report, that the attention given reduces to a minimum the time taken in locating and rep-air-ing any trouble. The Finance Committee recommended that in view of the uncertainty of the supply of power from Mangahuo, the work of lifting tlie plant at the lower power house be not proceeded with at present, but that the work of cleaning the pipes lie carried out. That the scale of charges for motors of fourhorse power and under as recommended in the secretary-manager’s report, be. adopted and that the new scale come into' operation on the Ist April, 1920. — Adopted. The manager submitted a report upon, the charges for power used by milking motors. In going through the schedule of rates charged for milking motors by other Power Boards, it is interesting to note that in most cases the basis on which such charge is made- is a similar one to that adopted by this board, namely, a fixed annual charge per h.p. of connected load, pdus a unit charge. It was admitted that such a method of charging 'bears heavily on the man with the small herd, and an\ alterations in the method of charging which have been made by other boards has been in the direction, of giving relief in this direction. The following scale of charges was submitted to take the place of the present, charges as from April Ist next: For installation of a total capacity of 4 h.p. and under; For first 100 units per month, gross (id, nett 41d per unit; second 100 units ful, nett did per unit; all over 200 units, did, nett 2d per unit; subject to the following conditions: 2 h.p. motor to be maximum size allowed for milking motor.unless it. can lie proved that a motor of n larger capacity, is necessary for driving the milking plant consisting of vacuum pump, skim milk pump and separators only. Maximum size for separating only, one horse power. ’'Minimum charges, 24s per horse power of installed capacity per quarter; the- quarter ; being January to March, April to June, July to .September, October to December. At the option of the consumer a charge of 7d per unit without any minimum to be made for occasional use of a motor.—The chairman gave notice of motion for next meeting to move that the above scale }>e adopted. The consulting engineer reported o;i the Kourarau development as under:—

Upper dam: The embankment has now bw.i earned up to within ten feet of tin* iieignt proposed. There remains aocmt lwo thousand cubic yards to oe p.aeed jii the embankment, fno maiii:at encountered in the barrow pit is a i::ii ural pug clay mi.-:etl w.’u limestone ooaldus. Though excellent material for the construction of a dam it is difficult to handle. It is so tough that lirlie can be thrown down by blasting, and all of it requires to be picked at least once. For these reasons not more than 100 cubic yards can be placed daily. The final section of the puddled clay core about half a. chain long also requires to be done. There; is a little seepage at the end of this cut off trench and in the course of the next day of two when the water is backed up on the dam it will be possible to ascertain whether the percolation under the higher head is going to be serious at this point. It is not anticipated that it will be so, for on two occasions during the month the water backed up very quickly in the dam during the night to a height of five feet, when the turbine in the upper power station had automatically shut down. A spillway about fifty feet long also requires to be, made. It is proposed to construct this at the southern end of the embankment. The contractor for the lower dam will re-commenco work this week. It is proposed early in the new year to concrete the crest of the. lower dam. This will permit, (last boards to be placed oil top and the capacity of the dam thereby increased it' found necessary. As regards raising the plant in the lower power house it is not considered advisable to do this work in the .Tanuary-March quarter owing to the continued interruptions of tho Mongolian supply.