DIFFERENCE OVER PUMPING

Hawke's Bay Herald-Tribune, Issue 184, 21 August 1937, Page 9

DIFFERENCE OVER PUMPING

a Our Own Correspondent.)

Central H.B. Pawer Board and Conncil TW0-H0UR DISCUSSI0N

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WAIPUKURAU, Last Niglit. A decision to abide strictly hy the original agreement of 1926, with its modification of 1930, was reached at to-day's meeting of the Centtai Hawke's Bay Power Board, wh&n the matter of puinping hours at the borough puinping stgtion was thrashed out at length. This will mean that the borougli will be perinitted to pump through a maximum demand meter at Jd per unit, hut, should it come on at a peak tiine, the counctl will be asked to pay the &xtra cost to the board, plus £d a unit. The board is also prepared to give the borough any information it may have in connection with the maximum demand, but all members agree'd that it was practically impossibie to state definitely when future peak loads would occur. In view of the fact that soine strong eomtnent on the board 's conduct in the matter was made at Monday night's meeting Of the Borough Council. the diseussion was lengthy, this part of the business occupying over two hours of the board meeting ;s time. The history of the argument, with the board 's side Of it made olear, is contained in the following special reports on the subject by the secretarymanager, Mr G. E. Fowler: — Un July 14, it was diseovered thai ihe time clock at the Waipukurau borough pumping station was rmsealed. Oji July 26, I discussed with the Mayoi and town clgrk, Waipukurau, the matter of pumping at the borough pumping station. Due to a change over, the bou ough desired longer hours than froin 9.30 p.m. to 6.30 a.m, It was agreed as between the Mavor, town clerk and myself, that the borough should have uight pumping from 9.30 p.m. to 6.30 a,m., and that it be ascertained the next morning what water the borougli iia'd in the reservoir. If it were found that there was likely to be a shortagc of water, I had in my mind to endeav our to meet the borough by having tlr load specially watched at the sul) station whilst the fepairs were in hand. and to allow the borough to pumj whenever possible. "Next day it was reported that the seal had been broken at the "off peak" clock, and that pumping had started within 20 minutes of my interview with the Mayor and town clerk. The clock at the pumping station had been broken into and the time for pumping altered. The peak on the day following the breaking of the seal was the greatest up to that date for the quarter, though it has since been exceeded. On Tuesday afternoon, the chaiiun&n, together with Messrs Rathbohe and Witherow, who fortunately happened to call in, discuseed the matter with the Mayor and town clerk. The Mayor gave his aesurance that the breaking of the Seal was without his authority, and he was as equally surprised as myself that the pumping had not been conined to the hours of 9.30 p.m. to 6.30 a.m. Oh July 30, a lotter was received from the Borough Council which read, inter alia, as f ollows:— ' 1 Your solicitor sfcates that if the ptoposed hours, namely, 10 p.m. to 6 ajm., are insufficient, the board is willing to supply current on terms set out in the agreement. My council is quite agreeable to the installation. of the maximum demand meter, and is willing to carry out the terms of the agreement as to paying the extra charge s in the event of pumping being carried out during peak hoiir. My council, however, cannot accept your peak hour or hours as from 6 a.m. to 10 p.m.'' This letter was handed to Mr. Neild, solicitor, who advised that the maximum demand meter be installed forthwith, and this was done. "Later on Friday morning, July 30, I had a ring from the Department of Health, Wellington, advislng that both the Borough Council and the member for the district had been in touch with the Minister in regard to a dispute over pumping. I replied stating the position briefly. On July 31 a rurfher lettor was received from the Waipukurau Borough Council, saying that ihey did not accept any liability for additional ch'arges under the arrangement made in regard to the installation of the

maximum demand meter. That is how the matter stands at present, and it is imperative that finality be reached. "The graph showing the load for a portion of July will be plaeed before you to-day, and from it you will notice the impossibility of fixing non-peak houra during the day time. This graph has been shown to the Mayor and town clerk, but they would not accept the impossibility of fixing a day peak, talcing up the attitude that the board and not the borough must take any risks lliat might occur." No Instructions from Department. "Addendum: The above report was written prior to the publication of the diseussion of the matter at the Borough Council. In the report published, the Mayor 's statement reads inter alia: — 'I had no alternative but to seek the help of th'e Health Department, and it was through the offices of tlie Health Department that we had the wires restored the following night at (ive q 'clock. ' The Mayor ie apparently under a genuine misapprehension in the

matter, and I therefore desire briefly to refer to the matter as the facts speak ior themselves. "At 8.30 a.m. on July 30, a letter was received from the Waipukurau Borough Council agreeing to the installation of the maximum demand meteT, and stating that the council was willing to carry out the terms of the agreement, as to paying the extra charges in the event of pumping being carried out during peak hour. On receipt of the letter, Mr Neild advised the affixing of the maximum demand meter, and our engineer immediately started up tha work, and up to this time there hsd been no communication from ti10 Health Ministry. On returning from the interview with our solicitor, I found word to ring up the Health Ministry in Wellington % which was done. Late in the afternoon the health inspoetor visited us, and the matter was discussed. No further communication of any kind was received from the health officials. The Health Department gave no instructions to us, and as above stated, the work of placing the demand meter was in hand prior to any communication from them." History and Arrangement. Mr Fowler went on to point out that, in correepondence of December 23, 1930, the borough had agreed to pump between the hours of 10 p.m. and 6 a.m., when they erected a proposed automatic control line, provided the Power Board waived the pole rent between the pumping station and the reservoir. He then went on to read the legal opiiy.on t'urnished by Messrs Martin and Hurley, of Wellington, solicitors of the New Zealand Supply Authorities ' Association, in regard to the agreements. This, in simple language. said that, as there was no definite period on the 1926 agreement, it was probable that the contract was terminable by either party at proper notice.It ap-peared plain that the letters of 1930 constituted a valid variation oi the original agreement. ■' Awful Lot of Hot Air" Mr W. H Chambers said there was an "awful lot of hot air" about the streets and in the papers about ^ the affair. The borough, in a very dictatorial way, demanded seventeeB hours pumping. There had been many statements made by the borough that would not stand scrutiny. He (Mr Chambers) did not agree With the board' s informing the police of the breaking of the seals, but he could «ot see any reason for the council' s requiriug any longer hours of pumping. In the prescribed times they could pump close oil 130 gallons a head of population a day, vvheieas the average in England was only about 40, and in New Zealand, he thought, about 60. He had gone to the pumping station on one occasion, and had found one of the valves had broken off the' main and blocked the pipe. Water had been purnped up against the broken valve and back into the river. It appeared to him that it was not the Power Board that needed taklng over by the Government, as had been suggested, but the council. The board Nhad done nOthing unjust. The affair had* no right to go as far as Lt had. He had been unable to find any evidence that Mr Fowler had not been ready to help the borough. Mr Chambers, in conclusion, described the borough' s actions on certain points as "absolute idiocy." "They advertised warning people not to waste water," he said, "but they took good care to see that we didn't, because they purnped it back into the river!" Bristled With Difficutty. Mr A. C. Holms said he tried to look at the matter from a third-party viewpoint, being a member of the board as Well as a representative of the borough. To his mind the main point in quesfion was the determination of the off-peak hours, and this was a qufestion that bristled with difficulty. Graphs showed the possibility of a full load commg on at any hour of the day, but he doubted if the board could get away with saying the peak hours were all hours other than 10 p.m. to 6 a.m. Officiaily, there were two peaks, one in the mcrning and one in the afternoon. If the borough wanted two pumps working, it would be difficult to fix peaks, but in regard to the extra pumping. he understood they purposed only using the smaller pump, with a load of a little over 20 K.V.A. If that were clearly understood it should not be so difficult to fix a peak. There were always two sides to a controversial story and, from an independent point of view, he thought the question of maximum deplands should have been considered more fully. It was open to question whether the board was right jn cutting off the sup-

ply without due notice. The Public Works Department required that. The tinal cut-off occurred during the early morning without the council's knowledge. The .borough clerk had asked the engineer if it would be convenient to pump on the night before the cut-off and, receiving no repiy, had gone on pumping. This could have occurred through a misunderstanding. The breaking of the sea! might be regarded as a very serious matter, but the cutoff was also a serious matter. Had that happened on the day of the tire at the board's premisgs, it might have meant that the Brigade could not worli effectively, and that might have cost the board up to £5.000. Two wronga did not make a right' 1 Time Extended. Mr F. J. Williaras said he and Mr Russell, coming into the board's offico on the Tuesday, had found that the seal was broken and Mr Fowler was waiting for a conferenee with the Mayor and Town Clerk. Mr Smart admitted that he had instructed the mnn at the pumping station to break the seal and , start the pump. .

Mr Holms: !fou may know that, but 1 am not aware of itl The upshot of that conferenee,. Mr Witherow continued, was that the pumping times were extended by an hour, from 9.30 p.m. to 6.30 a.m., and Power Board offfcers were instructed, if the seal on the time clock was broken again, they were to pull the fuses. In reply to Mr M. Eyan, Mr 1'oWlei explain^d that the ( clock was owned by the council, but sealed and controlled by the board. In answer to a further question, he said the borough had admitted that they had brul, the seal. Mr Ityan; Then, if an officer of the board took any other action that would have the same effect as the clock, we were within our rights. At this point Mr Holms observed for Mr Ryan's information, that thei'e was only one offence at issue — the breaking of the seal. Borough's "Militant Attitude." The chairman, Mr A. O. Russell, said he thought the whoie of the tfouble was the putting in of the new pipe line. Instead of coming to the board, tbe borough had taken up a militant attitude about the agreements. When the seal was broken the second time, Mr Fowler was away in Wellington, and he, the chairman, had instructed thal the fuses were to be withdrawn at 6.30 a.m. and put back again at 9.3( p.m. thus still allowittg the extra hour's pumping that had been promised. He had told the Mayor that in the telephone conveisation. He ai had heard about the engine pumping water back to the river and the reservoir ieaking like a sieve, However, those thiugs were beside the point. The board had been not at all arbitrary, but all the comments on the board had been harsh and arbitrary. If this were to gio on there would be a repetition of the difficulty. It was for the board to say what they were to do to guard against a recurrence of these incidents. In his opinion the supply 6hould be controlled from outside the borough station. Mr Ryan suggested that they should try to make a new agreement that would be 6atisfactory to both parties Mr Fowler pointed out that the graphs showed that nobody could with safety gdve longer hours than were already given. Board to Adhere to Agreement. It was then decided to adjourn for lunch and to invite Mr D. Wi Neild, the solicitor who acted for the board, to attend in the afternoon. This was done, and after an hour's further diseussion in committee, it was decided, on the motion of ' Mr Chambers, seconded by Mr Holms, "Thai the original 1926 agreement, as modified in 1930, be adhered to, and "that any information regarding maximum demand that may be in the possession of the board be supplied by the board*s ofticers on the application of the borough."