NEW ZEALAND TIMBERS.

Putaruru Press, Volume II, Issue 46, 4 September 1924, Page 3

NEW ZEALAND TIMBERS.

FOR POWER POLES. Question of Preservatives. The report of the Thames Valley Electric Power Board’s Pole Committee to report upon the question ef the use of New Zealand-grown poles for electric power reticulation and also upon the matter of using preservatives for the purpose of adding to the life of the poles, was submitted to Tuesday’s meeting of the board. The committee consisted of the chairman (Mr. F. IT. Claxton), Mr. Strange, fhe engineers (Messrs. Gauvain and McLeod), and the manager (Mr. R. Sprague). “ Planting of trees by farmers. — This had been fully discussed and acting on the recommendation of Mr. H. A. Goudie, conservator of forests, we recommend that a circular be sent to all farmers in the board’s territory, giving them the species that can be grown in their fcy, as suggested by the Forestry Department, in order to ensure a supply of locallygrown power poles, which could be purchased by the board, to the advantage of the growers and the board.

“ Treatment of poles":' We recommend that a portion of the shipment of poles by the Louis Theriault now being discharged be given two brush applications of preservatives. This is for experimental purposes, in order to ascertain the actual cost of treatment by the process. It was also decided to obtain from the Forestry Department the cost per acre of planting trees, and also the maintenance of same per annum, and, further, the possibility of any suitable areas being available for this purpose in the board’s territory.” The chairman said it would depend entirely upon the cost and the extra life of the poles whether the treatment would be effective. They had so far no indications of what the cost of treating* the poles for preservation would be. Mr. McCormick considered that if the sap were cut from the poles at the ground level the poles would last longer. It was the sap, lie said, which rotted the poles and the rot usually commenced at the ground level. The report was adopted.