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NATURE’S GIFT.

To the Man on the Land POWER ON THE FARM. With the time fast approaching, when the Manawatu-Oroua Electric Power Board will he in a position to commence the supply of current, the question of rural use of electricity is one of general interest in the Manawatu.

i There is some question in the minds of many as to whether the | farmers will take kindly to the new I source of power. Let us see how the question has been answered in other districts. Take, for instance, that of the Thames Valley Power Board. The use of electricity around Matamata is general among the dairy farmers, approximately 75 per cent, using it for lighting their homes, and outbuildings and for driving the milking machine, water pumps and separators. The Board has some 500 milking machine motors in use and is endeavouring to install another 100 before the coming season. Its difficulty is in procuring the motors. • PROFITABLE INVESTMENT.

| Fanners there say, that the udvan- { tago of electricity over benzine is that j the motor will start on the coldest ] morning, there are no fumes, and the " | plant is noiseless. There is also the | advantage of the light in the shed for j the man who gets up before the I sun. Some say that electric power costs'the farmer £5 per year more than the oil engine, and others £lO, but it seems that the variation 1b .1 chiefly due to the difference in efficiI ency of the engine. The general conI vciiience and the absence of the cost jof carting tne , benzine, however, i make electricity more profitable. Around Te Aroha, the custom is to instai a* heating point, with a con- : troi switch, in the milking shed to j provide coding water for washing ! up. NVlitiii uie uuiking is finished, the j switch connects up the heating ap- | para* us and the water is brought to | uod between milking hours. That is, i when a farmer ceases milking in the | morning, tie ust-s the water that has I boned urn ing the night, and at night i that boiled during the day. Thus, all j heating apparatus is cut out- durI mg the peak load, i.e., during milki iug hours. For £4 10/ per annum I an abundant supply of hot water is i available the year round, j Power, again, is available through- ■ cut the twenty-four hours. Around ! Matamata some farmers have kept I their engines as a stand-by, ready for use in case, at any time, the power cuts out, but this has very seldom happened. A flat rate, based on the quantity of . butterfat " produced is charged. BENZINE SCRAPPED. A correspondent in the Matangi district says that the use of etect-ric-ity is practically universal, both for lighting and power. “At the incepI tion of the scheme many of the farmS ers, especially those with small herds, I decided to stick to their benzine enI gines, believing that this would be a I cheaper proposition, but to-day there is hardly one who has not had the power installed. The Central Power Board provides power for water heating at a flat rate of £4 amnum for 5 k.w.; £6 for 2 k.w., and £8 fof 1 k.w. The h k.w., provides 14 gallons of water practically boiling. | This heating system will be very 1 extensively used during the coming season. The charge for power ifl somewhat high at preesnt, but will be reduced as the reticulation of the district is completed. IMPORTANCE APPRECIATED. Judging by these facts, it appears safe to say that the ManawatuOroua Board will hav e no difficulty in disposing of all the current it can get. Preliminary canvasses have proved already that the man on the land in this enlightened district fully appreciates the importance, economic

and industrial, of the coming of the “juice.” An official of the Board told a “Times” reporter that the chief obstacle to b e overcome in approaching a potential customer was the prevailing lac kof knoweledge as to electricity and its uses. For instance, one lady declared that she could not have it in the house, she would be “afraid of the lightning coming in.” Again some farmers had gathered exaggerated ideas as to the cost of installing the current. One got quite a shock when told that it v r ould cost £lO to instal six lights in the house. He had put the figures at about £100! So far as the district had been canvassed, about 90 per centfl of the residents had applied for current for electric motors and lighting. In most .cases where farms were leasehold, ’the owner would consent to having the current put in as an improvement.

SAYING FOR FACTORIES. It is probable that many of the dairy factories 'in the Manawatu will eventually be run entirely on electricity. It has been found that most factories are keen on setting an electricity water heating system. The average fuel bill of a factory for the season is about £9OO per annum, whereas electricity can be supplied to the same amount of work for £l5O to £2OO. Righting and motors for driving churns and pumps will naturally be used'by factories. It is probable that most of them will take to electric lorries for collecting, charging the batteries at the factory itself, being quite a simple operation. The Awahuri factory, for instance, al-

ready runs an electric truck from its own power plant. MILKING PLANT TARIFF. As regards the cost, the ManawatuOroua Board’s milking plant tariff—£s per h.p.—is lower than that of any other board in New Zealand. The meter system will be used throughout. The Board considers this fairer than the flat rate, as each man pays exactly for what he uses . ' In the case of the homestead which stands back from the road, the Board erects the lirst chain of line on the consumer’s property free. Anything over this distance is charged at cost price. Each point in the house costs 32/6 to 37/6. As to power installation, wiring and switch for a 2 h.p., motor fifthe milking shed will cost about £lo. As the Board purchases in large quantities, and the price of material is falling, it is probable that the actual cost will be ■ lower than at present. A 2 h.p. motor will be sold at £ls complete. Thus, the motor and wiring can be installed for 1 £2O. The charge for lighting will be Sd per •unit with a minimum of 5/ per month, and for heating aiid ironing, Sid pet’ unit. In the case of residences, one meter may be used. In this case Lie first nine units a month will be charged at 8d per unit, and the baJanc at 3Jd per unit,, with a minimum of 5/- per month. Water heating costs £5 10/- per annum for a 600 watt heater, if on a change over Bwitch from a motor, etc., otherwise at £l2 per killowatt. There have been many enquiries for bath heaters, For cooking, a 2 k.w., range costs £2 per quarter and a 5 k.w., £3. Three blocks of the Board’s district have been canvassed and reticulat'.rm is progressing steadily. By the time the twelve months before the Mangahao current will be available have elapsed, there should be a strong demand for the whole supply. We are indebted to Mr H. E. Pacey, managing director of Messrs. Nathan and Co., for information as to the uses of electricty in other districts, mentioned in this article.

Permanent link to this item
Hononga pūmau ki tēnei tūemi

https://paperspast.natlib.govt.nz/newspapers/SNEWS19230814.2.18

Bibliographic details
Ngā taipitopito pukapuka

Shannon News, 14 August 1923, Page 3

Word count
Tapeke kupu
1,253

NATURE’S GIFT. Shannon News, 14 August 1923, Page 3

NATURE’S GIFT. Shannon News, 14 August 1923, Page 3

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