HOROWHENUA POWER BOARD.

Shannon News, 23 April 1926, Page 3

HOROWHENUA POWER BOARD.

APRIL MEETING. Tlic Horowhenua Power Board met on Tuesday, Mr. G. A. Monlr being jn tbe chair- and there being also present Messrs'D. W.. Matheson, A. A: Brown, W. Barber, C. Kilsby, W. H. Gunning, A. I. Mackay, A. Seifert, A. Ross, T. R. Overton (consulting engineer), J. A. Smith (engineer), and P. W. Goldsmith (secretary). - Engineer’s Report. Mr. Smith’s report stated, as follows: — Line Construction. —The pol'e gang have erected 92 poles in different districts, and have run out wire for the wiremen following. No. 1 Wire Gang have run 390 chains oLE.H.T. and 130 chains of L.T., run live services; built one transformer set, also the usual maintenance work. No. 2 Wire Gang have run out 144 chains of L.T., erected nine poles and .run 21 services, made alteration io feeder jumpers, so as to feed north end of Oxford Street off the Queen Street West transformer, instead-off main sub. No. 3 Wire Gang have run 453 chains of L.T., erected three poles and run 14 services in Raumati, Otaki and Paraparaumu, erected two earth guards and a line switch. Livened up Waikanae beach and Raumati. Transformer sets have b'een built and livened up at Mr. Akers, Humes Road, Waikanae Beach Road, and Raumati. Queen Street East, Levin sub. has been built “ready for panel and transformer. Installations. —C. H. Marriott ' has made a start wiring the Raumati beach group. The more important consumeis connected during the • period are: lima. Flaxmill, Foxton, 55 h.p., Tokomaru Flaxmill, Tokomaru, 3Q h.p., Levin Dairy Co., 25 h.p., Mahara House, Waikanae, 48 points. During the period 40 new applications have been received for power and lighting and 26 applications for extensions to existing installations.

Workshop.—Four 11,000 volt switch panels and two sets low tension fuses have been made rip. Details of routine work were given. Accounts. S Accounts passed for payment total- I led £4211 10s 7d. - | Raimi Road Supply. Mr. Kilsby presented a petition signed by farmers along the Rahui Road, asking the Board to take steps towards bringing the current up this road for the purpose of supplying light and power. The chairman said he understood the Board’s engineer . was already making! an investigation, and, after a canvass ■ lad be'en made, in addition to our en- j quiry as to load possibilities, a report | would be submitted to the Board, when this were done they would then be in a position to say what the Board would be prepared to do. Mr. Kilsby said more would have signed the petition if there had been time. He thought there would be sufficient to make the line payable. Board’s Finances. The treasurer presented the balancesheet and report on the past year’s working, which with the discussion thereon will appear'in n'ext issue. Board’s Sound Position. Five members of the Board representing counties r'etire next month having completed thre’e years’ service. They are Messrs Monk,, Brown and Seifert (Horowhenua), Mackay (Hutt) >and Parker (Manawatu). Mr. Mackay who is retiring from local body work docs not intend to seek re-election. At the conclusion of the meeting the chairman (Mr. Monk) referred to the approaching elections, and thanked the members for the position .they had honoured him with as chairman, and for their courtesy and. support in carrying out the business. When they came back three years ago the construction work had little more than started and they felt that they had a-right to come back and sec something of its completion. He was pleased to say they had s'een that. He could say without hesitation that there was no power board in the Dominion that had made greater progress for the time that they had actually been operating, nor was thei'e any Board that had placed themselves in a better position than what this Board was to-day. That was due to a large extent to the efficient staff they had with them—the. ’engineers and'office, staff, assisted by a Board that had taken a veiy deep interest in the whole of the construction and trading. He also wished to acknowledge the fine manner in which the people of this Power District had come forward and helped the Board to build up its load. Within ten months of the time that the power was switched on they had exceeded the allotment of power for a period of five years. That was largely the factor respansible for the excellent position they were in today. "It has been a very great pleasure, so far as 1 am concerned,” continued the chairman, "to work in the interests of this Board, One very fine feature is that we are able to say that no rate will need to be struck to assist our finances. There are power boards collecting, rates in this County that are staggering and it is due to that fact that°a very bad odour has been created in regard to electric power. This district is certainly to be congratulated on the position it is in.” Retiring Members. Five members of the Board, eomtinued the chairman, were retiring, and Mr. Mackay did not intend to seek re-, election. He would like the Board to place ou record its very high appreciation of Mr. Mackay’s services. He had been very helpful particularly in the '-southern end of the district and the people there were very much perturbed because they were losing his services as a member of the Board and as chairman of the Hutt County Council. He hM given the work a great deal of time and now had orders to give it up. He was a wise man to obey those orders. Personally the speaker greatly regretted his retirement, but Mr. Mackay could tell the people in the southern end of the district that they had a very goocj job in their power board work. Mr. Seifert also expressed regret at Mr. Mackay ’» retirement, and the vote

of appreciation was carried by acclamation. Mr. Mackay thanked tbe Board very muck for tbe kind remarks and vote. In one way be was very sorry to leave the Board, but bis wife’s health demanded that he spend more time at home. He had put in five and a half years of local, body work. He felt proud of his association with the Board and its staff. The work took up very little of his time, but as he was very often away from home four days a week, the time had come when he had to give up his publie work. He wished the Board the success he felt sure it would have. , Mr Matheson extended to the otfiei retiring members the good wishes of the Board in the election. The meeting then adjourned.