ELECTRIC WIRES.

Hauraki Plains Gazette, Volume XXXVII, Issue 4947, 5 March 1926, Page 4

ELECTRIC WIRES.

SAFEGUARDING THE PUBLIC.,

POWER BOARD’S ACTION.

At Tuesday’s meeting of the Thames} Valley Electric Power Board Mr. J. B. Thomas asked ,the engineer if there was any explanation for the breakage of electric power wires g-uch as had occurred in various parts of ,t|he Dominion. He wag of opinion that the board should make every effort to have its wires made as safe as possible. , ...

The engineer (Mr N. G._ McLeod) said that there was .an obvious reason for the few breakages oif wires in the board’s area- Ih pome cases' falling trees dr 'flying branches of trees had been the cause, and in one case the wire h,ad been cut by a stone thrown out by blasting operations. Mr Thomas asked whether vibration would caupe wires, to break. . , The engineer said that this, was extremely unlikely, though vibration might break .the wire binding wires to the insulators. In view of thigi .a regular inspection was. made. ’ Continuing, the engineer said that apparatus, was fitted to cut off the supply in the event of a short circuit or earthing, but this did not always act in cases where a fallen wire did not make a good contact- However, tenders had been called for a more sensitive type, and .these would sjhortly be fitted. Mr Thomas asked .if wires could'not be buried in the ground. The engineer said it would not ibe feasible, as the cosij of reticulation would be more than doubled, and this would make ,the power so expensive that the demand would be affected. All fences near high tension wires llad been earthed. The 230-volt mains were not so dangerous}, so the fence wires had not been! earthed, but the earthing of them would be a good proposition.

In reply to Mr Pohlen the engineer said that he could draw up simple instructions on how to earth fence wires, for the benefit of farnfers who desired to do ithe work.for thenwelves. A motion to that effect was carried.