WAIKINO-BOMBAY LINE.

Hauraki Plains Gazette, Volume XXXVII, Issue 5036, 6 October 1926, Page 2

WAIKINO-BOMBAY LINE.

HAURAKI PLAINS SUB-STATION.

DEPUTATION TO MINISTER.

At yesterday’s meeting of the Thames Valley Electric Power Board a letter was received from the electrical branch of the Public Works Department advising that the department considered it could not do any more than wag already being done to expedite the construction of the Bom-bay-Waikino transmission line. The position at present was that 165 poles had been erected out of a total of 617 , 91 poles had been completely wired, the distance covered being 8 miles 33 chains out of a total distance of 49 miles 22 chains. Cartage and other work was well in advance of ereciion. The contract date for completion was October 31. It was not expected that the work would be completed by that date, hut the line wpud be i ushed on as rapidly as weather and nature of the ground permitted. The board having pointed < J ut that the erection of the Hauraki Plains sub-Btatlon was urgent, the department replied that the request had given no information to show that it was more urgent than other works regarded as urgent. It would be necessary to discuss the question of location of the sub-station as soon as possible, so that the necessary modifications to the line could be made without interfering with construction.

The chairman (Mr F. M. Strange) said that he and the engineer had gone into the matter of location of the site, and he had reason to believe it had been settled. It had been a hard matter to get a satisfactory reply from the Public Works engineer as tp when the supply" of power could be expected. It was reasonable to suppose that there would be no supply before the end df January next. It was proposed to wait on the Hon. Minister on Saturday next with a view to expediting the matter, and it possible to obtain a sufficient supply of transformers. The voltage at the present time was very unsatisfactory, and it was desirable, that a further supply should be made available as early ais possible. The necessary expenditure had been authorised, and it was not reasonable to expect that the work of reticulation should be nearly nine months later than the date of completion indicated some time ago by the Minister. The need for a steady supply of power to the Hauraki Plains was becoming a daily necessity. The matter was urgent not only from a security (standpoint, but also from a standard supply standpoint. The site selected for the sub-station, he believed, was at Kerepeehi.

A deputation comprising the chairman, engineer, secretary, and Mr Willy was s,et up to wait cn the Minister at Te Arbha on Saturday next.