CENTRAL POWER BOARD.

Waikato Times, Volume 97, Issue 15245, 23 May 1923, Page 6

CENTRAL POWER BOARD.

BUSINESS AT ANNUAL MEETING. MR HINTON RE-ELECTED CHAIRMAN. The annual meeting of the Central Electric Power Board was held at Hamilton yesterday, when Mr T. Hinton was unanimously appointed chairman amid applause, after many eulogistic, references had been made to his ability for the position. Messrs Paterson and Boyd (new members) were welcomed to the Board. In his annual 'report, Mr Hinton said the coming year would practically finish the constructional work. So far all interest and expenses had been paid out of loan. It was anticipated that the anuual revenue would be about £12,000. Negotiations were in hand for supplying Hamilton and Huntly in hulk. Members were of opinion that the Board’s financial operations had been carried out very successfully. The chairman remarked, however,, that had the Government adopted a policy of purchase and distribution of plant and poles boards would have been saved considerable sums. Mr Boyd considered the people in his district were satisfied with the present position. He thought the board should go in for a wider system of advertising in order to boost electricity. * Mr Stewart Reid thought a policy of serving the richest districts first would prove an economical policy. The chairman's honorarium was fixed at £2OO, as formerly. Two offers of finance (a loan of £20,000) were received, one from the Bank of New Zealand for 10 years at 5J per cent., and the other from an Australian firm for 36 years at 5i per cent.—The matter of making arrangements was left in the hands of the chairman and secretary. The chairman- reported that a contract for pole-carrying on the Horsham Downs sector had been let to J. Murphy at 4s 3d per pole. There were about 300 poles. The matter of supplying power to the Huntly Brick and Tile Works was left in the hands of a committee. An application for power as a standby in case of Ace at the factories of the N.Z. Co-operative Dairy Co., within the board’s area, was also referred to a committee. In order to enable the office staff lo make up the books daily, it was decided to close the office for business to the public at 3,30 p.m. daily. The public hours will therefore be from 9 a.m. till 3.30 p.m. continuously. A committee was appointed to wait on the Minister of Railways on his visit here next week re lighting the Ngaruawahia railway station electrically.

The engineer was instructed to report on the question of supplying power for pumping water to paddocks. It was considered that, if supplied at a reasonable rate, power for this purpose would be considerably taken up. Report by the Chairman. The chairman, Mr T. Hinton, in- his annual report, considered that members should feel there was much to be thankful for in the continued progress of the board. It was just two years since constructional work was commenced in the district, and in that time lines have been erected as follows: 11,000 volt, 92 miles; 3000 volt, 62 miles; low tension, 128 miles. Electricity was supplied first to consumers in September, 1921, and the revenue for each two-monthly period since has been as follows: —Two months ending 30,th September, 1921, revenue £62 14s lOd, No. of consumers 20; 30th November, 1921, revenue £251 13s 6d, consumers 70; 31st January, 1922, revenue £434 17s 6d, consumers 160; 31st March, 1922, £474 9s lid, consumers 170; 31st May, 1922, £CI7 10s Id, consumers 260; 31st July, 1922, £659 11s, consumers 371; 30th Septtember, 1922, £ll9l 7s Gd, consumers 459 ; 30th November, 1922, £1579 15s 2d, consumers 571;- 31st January, 1923, £1748 11s 7d, consumers 642; 31st March, 1923, £2258 15s Id, consumers 973. Total revenue, £9279 6s 2d. About 40 motors were connected up during the last 10 days of March, and thus practically no revenue was received from them. The benefit of the hoard’s grouping system began to make itself felt in September, when a large number of motors were connected. This system had worked very satisfactorily, and under it 207 installations had been put in, these including 133 motors. Financial assistance had been granted to the extent of £4882, this being repayable in instalments. Up to date instalments had become duo for £1331, and £1143 had been paid, leaving £IBB outstanding.

Service lines: The total accounts rendered for service lines was £5216, most of which was repayable in instalments. r flie sum of £1877 had been received to dale. The total installations to date were: Lighting 1074, heating 118, water heaters 18, milking motors 251, non-milking 37. Of the loan of £200,000 authorised by the ratepayers in November, 1920, the sum of £130,000 had been raised, the rate of interest averaging £5 18s. A further loan of £20,000 was being arranged for, and should go far to completing the scheme as originally laid out. The current year and the coming one would, he believed, be very important ones in Hie career of the board, as it would be passing from the constructional period to one of selfreliance. Interest and sinking fund iiad been paid out of loan money, as authorised by the ratepayers. For the current year this would amount to about £9500, of which £3750 would have to, be found from revenue, and for the year 1924-25 the whole amount (at least £10,750) would have to he found from this source.

Working on the figures of the revenue for the two-monthly period to 31st March, 1923, and allowing for the revenue from all consumers then connected, it was considered that ttie present revenue was at the rate of £12,000 per annum. It was expected that upwards of 100 more motors will be connected early in the coming milking season. The board’s area as originally constituted was, with Hie exception of Hie suburbs of Hamilton, a rural one. In order to improve the diversity of load the board made every endeavour to get consumers requiring electricity at other than milking times, and with tin's end in view the plant and reticulation of tiie borough of Ngaruawahia was purchased, and Hie town was now being supplied by the board. An offer had been made Lo the Hamilton Borough Council to supply it in bulk, whilst negotiations were entered into with the Huntly Town Board lo either purchase its plant and reticulation and supply the town, or to supply lhe hoard with electricity in bulk. These negotiations have pot yeL reached a definite stage. The load obtained from consumers for motors other than milking machines has led the board to believe that this side of its operations can be very much extended. Since last annual meeting the board lost the services of Mr Overton as electrical en-

gineer, but was fortunate enough to be able to retain his services as consulting engineer, and in this capacity he has rendered us good service. Mr J, R. Ellis, who succeeded him, has proved a thoroughly efficient electrical engineer, and the board should consider itself fortunate in obtaining the services of two such engineers. The report was adopted.