BAY POWER BOARD

Opotiki News, Volume I, Issue 80, 7 September 1938, Page 2

BAY POWER BOARD

MONTHLY MEETINC The monthly meeting of the Bay of Plenty iilieetrie Power Board was Held in the Board’s rooms to-clay. Present: Mr F. J-. Burt (chairman),. Mr J. W. Sumner, jilr J. It. Mitchell, Mr JD. W. Spence (Whakatane) and Mr \V. T. Bilr>ett, Mr WV' A. Gault, Mr S. Maxwell (Opotiki). Mr J. D. Bicker (engineer-manager) and Mr G, A. Hathaway (secretary) were also in attendance. The minutes of the previous meeting - were read and confirmed. inward correspondence dealt main-, ly with i requests for remittance of penalties. An appeal for Dr Ada Patterson Memorial 1* und was “received”. The 'manager-engineer’s report was read and approved. The new agreement with the Public Works Department was presented by Mr Dicker, who referred to several points of interest. The agreement took effect in August to the end of March 1942. Through -the agreement the Board will get the benefit of diversity in peak loading which will mean a saving of about '£loo per quarter. The Board decided to sign the agreement.

Pre-payment Meters- —The engin-eer-manager mentioned that a nuinoer of requests for the installation, of prepayment meters in share-milkers’ cottages had been received from farmers. These meters were in use in cottages at. Ohope but cost the board up to £6 extra. The hoard decided to obtain legal advice as to whether it could charge for these meters. , House Shortage.—The difficulty experienced in obtaining a house for a new worker in Whakatane, who had been brought from Invercargill, was mentioned by Mr Dicker. The worker was having to pay high rates for hoarding and also • storage on his furniture. It was decided to allow the worker, country allowance until a house can lie secured and that the manager make the best possible arrangements.

ENCINEER-MAN ACER’S REPORT Mr J. I). Dicker, the engineer-man-ager submitted the following report for the month ending August 31st.' 1938 : Line Erection. —8 route chains 11,COO volt line erected at R.P.D. Co. 13 route chains 400 volt line- 25 route chains 400 volt on 11,000 volt-. Also removed and re-erected, 10 route chains of .1.1, C00 volt line and one 30 k.v.a.a sub. One Kelman C.C.D. erectod at R.P.D. Co. One 200 k.v.a. transformer erected at li-P.l). C'o. and livened. Alterations to the metering equipment at R.P.Lo Co. and the installation of a section of 11,000 volt cable. Pole cartage is under way on the Cnepu and Waioho Valley extensions ; but weather conditions have been such as to prevent a start being made on, erection. Manawahc.—3-miles 05 chains 11,000 volt line erected. 1 mile.-17 chains 400 volt on 11.000 volt line erected. 2 11,000 volt switches erected. 7 10 k. v.a.a transformers erected (wiring still to complete). 12 consumers ’services completed. Work remaining to lie completed on the above branch is as follows:—Wire stringing and sub to be erected on short 11,000 volt branch to Mr J. B. Cow’s farm. Transformer structures to lie wired. Balance* of transformers and .11,000 volt switches to erect. Remaining service lines to complete. And general finishing off. Consumers’ Service Lines- (including Manawahc). —43 new service lines' totalling 216. S route chains of line erected. 3 service lines dismantled amouuting to 11.32 route chains of line. 2 service- lines altered. Line 'Maintenance. —During the month storms accounted for a considerable number of interruptions to supply—flying bluegum bark, trees blown across lines, and roofs demollished by gales- Also two insulator failures, and four transformers broke down and had to be replaced. 17 consumers’ service lines overhauled and repaired. 226 ft. H.W. poles replaced. - Consumers Connected to 31st. August, 1938. month.— Ranges 5 .k.w., auct over, .4 new connections. 2 re-conm?ctiqns, 2 dis-con-nections, 563 total to date, 560 corresponding period T 937« Ranges 2 k.w. to 5 k.w. 3, 0. 0, 75,;58. Ranges total, 7 ,f: l ISa8S“ (^oludma milking.and milk supply), 3, O. 1. lot, 104. Shops and Qi 0. 1. 230, 220. Houses. 17, B, Pumps 2.0; 1, 396; 327; * Dairy water heaters, 'SU S: -54 G; :542, Domestic

water heaters 4,3, 2, 636, 549. Total A water heaters 10. 8,5, 1176, 1091. Milking plants 4 . 9, 10, 634, 605. Separator motors 6,3, 2, 349. 305- Total consumers 15, 10, 8. 1848, 1691. Total connected load k.w. 8446 k.w., 7430 k. w. P.W.D. Supply.—For the' above month there was one pre-arranged shut-down of 59 mins. General. —The P-W.D. agreement is now to hand and tabled for completion at to-dav’s meeting. As instructed by the Board at its last meeting, 1 attach hereto a schedule covering the dates of increases of staff salaries and wages as from Ist. January 1936, at which period conditions were practically normal at- a time before new awards took effect. To compile the schedule within reasonable proportions it has been necessary to emit the names of each individual employee ; blit the manner in which the schedule is presented whereby each section of employees is indicated under the heading “Nature id Employment” will 1 trust serve the purpose required by the board. ~ Pre-payment- Meters.—Recently the Board lias received from property owners a mini her of requests to have pre-payment meters installed in prenm ises occupied hy their employees. In the past a, number of these meters lias been installed in premises where the .nature of the .tenancy offers difficulties in collecting the revenue. and thereby warrants the increased out-lav.

With regard to the above requests and, as the extra cost of metering can amount to £6 per installation according to the type of installation, I recommend the hoard discuss the matter with a view to defining the policy to he adopted in the future. .