POWER BOARD POLES.

Hauraki Plains Gazette, Volume XXXVII, Issue 4964, 21 April 1926, Page 1

POWER BOARD POLES.

BEPLACEMENTS' N'ECESSABY. , REPORT OF ENGINEER. At the last, meeting of the Thames! VaUiey Power Board at Te Aroha, the chief engineer (Mr N. G. McLeod), at the request of a member 1 at- thie February meeting of the board, submitted the following report concerning the suitability and lasting properties dE the poles carrying the electric power linee; in the board’s area:— “The examination of all the board’s poles has been completed, and, generally, they have been 'found in very good condition. As far z as can be judged, the. troublesome poljes were all of mixed Australian hardwood, but the actual varieties are not, known. The ironbark and sjlVer pine poles are standing best, there being only a little sap rot, but the majority of the mixed hardwood pol.es are also in quite good order,. ‘‘The number of polep: replaced to date is 42, and the number requiring to he renewed or closely watched is, 52. There are approximately 18,000 poles on the board’s own lines, asi well as about 70'00 on service lines, so that to date only one in 600 has been renewed, the total renewed and to re? ceive attention 1 being lit,tle> more than one-.thirdrof one -per cent. Mr J. B. Thomas asked lit’ it could be relied on that the poles were genuine ironbark. The engineer ©aid that the board had to a.ccept/ the certificate; of the New South, W;iles Forestry Deparmefat which accompanied, each shipment. The poles had been up nearly six years. Mr J. Pohlen saiid he considered that the proportion! of decayed poles was not alarming, especially when it was considered that at one stage of the board’s operations mixed poles had to be used. Mr F. 0. Flatt pointed out that the New Zealand silver pine was proving its durability for pole purposes. The chairman (Mr F. '[H. Claxton) said that sufficiently matured silver pine poles were difficult to obtain, and thus the board was compelled to import from .Australia, in the meantime. The report was adopted.