SHORTCOMINGS OF POWER.

Putaruru Press, Volume VII, Issue 275, 14 February 1929, Page 1

SHORTCOMINGS OF POWER.

COST AND STOPPAGES.

Farmers Meet Board Officials.

Continuity of Supply Urged,

Matters relating to the Thames Valley Power Board were discussed at a meeting of the Morrinsville branch of the New Zealand Farmers’ Union on Saturday night. The president (Mr. J. M. Allen) presided over a large attendance cf members. Power Board officials and members present were Messrs. F. Strange (chairman), G. Bowie, J. B. Thomas (members), G. N. McLeod (chief engineer), G. P. Lindsay (assistant engineer) and G. D. Hattaway (accountant). The manager (Mr. R. Sprague) was unable to be present owing to illness.

Many difficulties had been faced in the Thames Valley area, said Mr. Strange. In the country main line reticulation was heavier than revenue, so that no comparison could be made with city boards. The Thames Valley Board’s charges were approximately the same as those of the five chief boards in New Zealand. As to a reduction being made, this depended on the attitude of the Government. At the present Horahora, Waikino, Waihou and the Kerepeehi station were feed posts. The Government charged £lO for the first 200 k.v.a. and for all over that £B. This was an injustice, said Mr. Strange, and it was hoped that in the near future a flat rate of £8 would he introduced. System of Troublemen. The board had the most up-to-date system of troublemen of any board in New Zealand, Mr. Strange went on. This was expensive, but was necessary in the interests of farmers. In the event of a motor breaking down it could be repaired almost at once. Of course there were cases, ae in the storm last June, when every qualified man was out all night. A troubleman never objected to going( out at any time of the night. Sometimes they took their lives in their hands and they should receive every credit for their fine work.

The Public Works Department had great difficulties to face, both as a result of the fire last September and the Arapuni washout, and they should be thanked for the promptitude they displayed in restoring power. At the same time the board thought that the organisation could be greatly improved along many lines. Arapuni Charges. Arapuni would be in operation in five months* time. . This work would be a monument to the Public Works Department. Armstrong, Whitworth' and Co. had had expert engineers, yet in face of their adverse reports the Department took overand made good. Costs in the future were “in the air.” The Auckland board had made a contract for 15,000 k.w. at £7. The Thames Valley board had approached the Government for a new contract, but had been refused until such time as Arapuni came in. All the South Auckland power boards had formed themselves into an association and when the matter of charges by the Department came up a fight would be made for lower rates.

The profits of Horahora were touched upon by the speaker. This station paid interest and sinking fund on all the Arapuni lines. The reserves held from Horahora amounted to £IBO,OOO. The fact that a large profit had heen made was one of the brightest spots in the outlook, and boded well for the future. As Mr. Coates said at the last power boards’ conference, from the capital costs and estimate of power used there would he a profit of £8,000,000 made at Arapuni a year. It was not likely that the power hoards would sit down and let the Government make this huge profit. Cause of Stoppages. Coming to the matter of stoppages Mr. Strange said that when the board first started there were only two feed points, and if one line was cut

out through a fault the whole district would be cut out. Now the feed %vas arranged in circuits and stoppages were of shorter duration and we_e ' localised. What could not be guarded against was storms. The number of 1 breakages would surprise many consumers. Seventy-five per cent of stoppages were due to trees. Every consumer who had trees overhanging power lines was menacing not only the continuity of his ov/n supply, but ' also the supply to the whole district, i The board had certain powers in this respect, but was loath to exercise

them. Ke urged consumers to cut trees close to power lijAs. The chief engineer, Mr. McLeod, gave details of the stoppages that had occurred in the area in the past ten months and their causes. The majority were in the Public Works Department supply, and could not be guarded against by the board. T'ne bulk of the stoppages due to the boards’ operations were prearranged. Accidental stoppages, that is, due to

storms and other causes, were rela- | tively few in number. The engineer referred to the disastrous storm last June and to the stoppages on January 20, when the Public Works Department organisation broke down. This latter was a serious matter, an't the board was not letting it drop until a full enquiry had been made. Low Costs and Continuity. Mr. F. Seifert said there were only two things that the farmer bothered about-—low costs and continuity of supply. If the supply had been regu-

lar no farmer would have begrudged paying a little more for power than for an engine. However, the supply was by no means good. The Mangahao station made a staggering loss last year, and Horahora a substantial profit. But in spite of the loss Mangahao gave efficient service. Horahora, where a large profit was made, should give efficient' service—one way this could be done was by spending money. There must be ways of getting over stoppages, as they had been

obviated in other parts of the Dominion and the world. Officials should say what money was required to make the service efficient. He did r.ot think the officials realised the trouble farmers were put to by constant stoppages. He would sooner pay more and have efficiency. Unless the Power Board could assure farmers that they could get an efficient service it would be an awkward matter. Even in Morrinsville the lights had been out for varying times. A list of the breakdowns had been given. Both board and Public Works Department were at fault. What the speaker wished to know was whether the board could state whether there was any way in which continuity of supply could given. Mr. McLeod said the plßent difficulty was that Horahora coulcl not take the load, and had to be bolstered up by several outside stations. Since | the fire it had been unable to paral- j lei stations quickly and a stoppage entailed the loss of at least 20 minutes. When Arapuni came in there should be less trouble, as all stations would be linked in a complete circuit. Mr. J. E. Leeson, chairman of directors of the Morrinsville Dairy

Company, said the most important thing was that the supply should be stable. The board and Public Works Department blamed one another for the stoppages. However, faults were increasing in number. In the early stages of the board's existence consumers were told that possibly a reduction would be made when the load increased. This had not eventuated. Horahora had been overloaded, and sufficient power to give a proper supply was not available. He felt sure that unless more efficient service was given the Government would find itself in the same position as with the railways. They would lose business and then wake up—too late.

Load Too Heavy. Mr. Strange said Mr. Leeson was right in saying that power stoppages were becoming more frequent. Arapuni was supposed to have been in operation eighteen months ago. This delay caused difficulty and upset calculations as the load became too heavy. At a conference of power supply authorities it was ascertained that, by using every generating plant, it would be just possible to struggle through. This shortage of

power was a cause of many of the breakdowns as the load continued to

grow and all resources were strained to meet the demand. He was alive to the difficulties of dairy factories and farmers and the board was well aware of the inconveniences caused, as most of its members were farmers. As to the efficiency of Mangahao this was a permanent station. Horahora was not, and many of the fittings were of a temporary nature. The ideal of the future was that Waikaremoana, Mangahao, Horahora and Arapuni would all be linked up, which would assure a continuity of supply.

Metering Proposed. Replying to a query as to the ten per cent increase by the board, Mr. McLeod said this was imposed to induce defaulting consumers to meet their liabilities. Accounts paid prior to the 20th of the month were not subject to the penalty. The decision to make such a charge was made when charges on milking motors were reduced by from £3 4s 6d to £6 per annum. It had been hoped that the board’s charges would be reduced this year, but this was now found impossible. To 1926 the flat rate system justified itself. The hoard knew where it stood from a revenue viewpoint. At this time a number |of cheap electrical appliances came cn the market and were installed, but consumers were making more use of them than the payments on flat rate justified. In other words, the revenue was not increasing in ratio to the increased cost of power. The flat late consumer was now using 144 per cent more power than he should. When the ratio was in the other direction a reduction could be made. Mr. McLeod thought there was little doubt that metering would be introduced. By this means power would be used economically on the farms, and a man would pay for the power used.

Milking Load Not Affected. “ The board has not yet definitely decided to instal meters yet,” said Mr. Strange. “It is suggested that under the method of metering the milking load will be such that the cost will not be increased beyond what it is now. The domestic load only will be affected. Finality in the matter will not be reached until the end of the financial year”. In reply to a question Mr. Strange said that the consumers would not have to pay for the meters. Mr. J. B. Thomas pointed, out that the cost of installing meters would be £BOOO and the cost of supervising and reading £3500. Replying to a question, Mr. McLeod said that water heaters were at present on a flat rate, and he did not think they would be metered. It would be possible to automatically cut off heaters when the water was boiling, thereby saving power. The idea of metering was to protect the individual. The additional cost of meters would be about £3OOO a year. The saving that would be made was £SOOO a year, on the peak load, and ir. addition the strength of lines would not have to be increased and fewer transformers would be needed. On these latter items there w>s a saving of £2OOO a year.