POWER BOARDS ENGINEERS

Manawatu Herald, Volume XLVII, Issue 2927, 25 August 1925, Page 1

POWER BOARDS ENGINEERS

.. CONFERENCE AT WELLINGTON. rn the course of his report to the Horowhenun Power Board last week, the Consulting Engineer (MV. Overton) said: —

A conference of Power Board Engineers was held for two days prior to ihe annual power boards conference and a large amount ol business was dismissed. In ilie lirsi instance the conference was called for the purpose of revising and bringing more up to date the regulations and by-laws which are enforced by ilie Government in respect of the supply of electricity. All of the regulations section 2 of tlie Public Works Act were reviewed and many alterations have been suggested which are to be finally (tea 11 wiih liy tlie Department before being gazetted. Tt is hoped as n result of the recommendations made thai the work of Power Boards and Electrical Supply authorities will be made less expensive and no less eflleienl. Considerable trouble Inis been experienced in the pas! in regard to ilie inconsistency of Government Depariments, for instance (lie Post and Telegraph .Department reqnire certain standard construction for

crossings, while the Railway Department require quite a different thing and ilie types of lines telegraph and telephone are the same in each Department. The Engineers' Conference took strong exception to this sort of treatment and it is now left with the Chief Telegraph Engineer, the Chief Railway Electrical Engineer, and the Chief Electrical Engineer of the Public Works Department to bring down uniform standards 01. construction, which will he suitable to

both Departments. The matter of payment for alterations required by the Telegraph Department to permit of their lines being erected subsequent to the erection of the power lines drew a good deal of discussion, and it was agreed by the Chief Telegraph Engineer that these charges should be remitted and' on behalf of tlris Board certain credits will now be claimed. The chairman said the Engineers Conference had more value than the conference of the Power Board representatives because the latter bad no technical, knowledge. Mr. Overton said another matter discussed was the guarantee required for consumption. \\ lien a consumer demanded a supply ol power in a remote district lie could be charged mi a basis of 20 per cent, of the capital cost of the extension. A consumer could ask the Board to take the line to the top of the Tararuas, if lie was willing to pay this charge. The new rate proposed was 12A per cent., per year, on the capital cost of the line, pins the actual cost of the power to the Board. When new consumers came on the line the Board could give a rebate or cancel the guarantee. Air. Ross asked where the Board would get its profit. The Engineer said the Board was not supposed to make a profitThe 12 \ per cent, covered over-head-working expenses, interest and sinking fund.