THE RECENT STORM.

Hauraki Plains Gazette, Volume XXXIX, Issue 5295, 4 July 1928, Page 3

THE RECENT STORM.

THE EFFECT ON POWER LINES.

PRECAUTIONS TAKEN' BY BOARD.

At the Thames Valley Electric Power Board meeting .at To Aroha yesterday the engineer, reported in connection with the storms experienced in the district last month, as follows :— “In June, following on the severe weather, of the previous month, there were further gales, but little damage was done until June 27, but even this was small compared with that cf the previous- month, .as many dangerous trees had 1 been removed int he interval.

“Two poles which had been scheduled for renewal on the last annual inspection report were broken during the gale, on June 27 one being at Mangaiti and one on Eastport Roa.d. The poles on either-side of the broken were quite sound, however, and the wires held' the broken poles up. “A shed was blown through our. lines on No. 8 Road, and a tree at Tahuna damaged the low tension wires on our main line poles. “Due to trodble on. the Public Works Depa.rme,nt’s 11,000-volt lines, supply to the Waihou sub-station was cut off for, over two hours on June 27, supply being, restored at 6.40 p.m. Supply was given through oun own 11 000volt. feeders from Waikino to the Waihou area, thus allowing the con, siderable number who are still milking to get through with comparatively little delay. There may be some difficulty during the next few months on account of delay in the provision of the Matamat.a feed point.

“Up to the present the Waihou supply area has had its transformers so arranged that in ca ; se of no Government supply being available at Waihou cub-station, a useful supply could be taken over our own lines from the Waikino feed point. Up to a few months ago supply could also be taken to the Waihou area in. emergency from the Horahora feed point. Alterations in the Public WoUks Department’s arrangements at Horahora gave us a lower voltage theite, and we have received' serious complaints from consumers on the further points of our Horahora supply,

“Since the Matamat"! temporary feed point cannot be ready for. the beginning of the next milking season, it will be necessary to ra’se the voltage at the Waihou station, .and trans, fer some of the consumers normally supplied from Horahora to the Wa ! - hou section.

“This will mean alteration in the Waihou distribution transformer tappings, and in case of interruptions of supply to the W.aihou sub-station the advantages obtained) up to the present by making use of ouri own through feeders will, to a great extent, be nullified.

“As the worst of our gales are usually over before the. milking season is well advanced it is proposed to delay raising the Waiihou voltage unt'l such time as distribution difficulties compel us to make the change. This would 1 retain, the advantage of inter.connectifin as long ap possible It will be necessary to make some arrangement with the department about this, as load will be transferred during a.quarter ; but there should be no difficulty. “It may happen, of course, that there 'will be no seriousf interruption of the department’s supply to the Waihou sub-station until the new Matama.ta point is ready, since there is a duplicate supply available over the Horahora-Bombay.'Waiki.no-Hora-hora ring main. But the fact that it has happened so recently as June 27 demonstrates the advantage of retaining our own interZebnnectioni.

“The trees ancl 'hedge which menaced our 11,000-volt feeder :at Mr Given’s, on .Ngarua Road, have received attention, and no further trouble should be experienced at this point.”