HOROWHENUA POWER BOARD.

Shannon News, 23 July 1926, Page 4

HOROWHENUA POWER BOARD.

♦— — (Continued From Page 3.) for electricity show a very .substantial increase whilst returns for sales and installations ar'e easing off somewhat. , The report was adopted. , installation Payment Arrears. The Treasurer also reported: —“There are a fair number of the Board’s consumers who although they signed up on a cash basis for their installations have not come up to expectations. Attention is now being given to these eases, so that whatever pressure is necessary may be brought to bear upon defaulters to secure the fulfilment of their obligations. Where installation advances bear interest the position is of course much more favourable for the Board, but otherwise consumers must expect to repay the Board for its outlay within a reasonable period. No consumers have been cut off since the last meeting of the Board for non-pay-ment of electricity accounts.” In reply to questions the Treasurer said th’e amount outstanding for installations varied. It was £12,000 on March fflst. Since then £2560 had been collected. The chairman said a good many people agreed to pay cash and then found they were unable to do so. The Treasurer added that on the other hand many who signed up for instalments had paid cash. After brief discussion, Mr. Ross moved, and it was seconded by Mr. Kilsby, that accounts owing for installation for a period longer than three months from date of rendering the accounts, must be paid forthwith on arrangements made including the' payment of -interest on the amount due from the date of the rendering of the account. This was carried. Engineer’s Report. The Engineer (Mr. J. A. Smith) reported as follows: — No. 1 wire gang, with the pole gang, have erected 30 poles, run 426 chains of wire and 11 services; erected a line switch at Wallace Road.

No. 2 wire gang have erected eight poles, run 380 chains of wire and ran 24 services in Foxton, Ohau and Levin districts; erected line switch-and completed Kawiu Road West and livened up all connected. No. 3 wire gang have erected 13 poles, run 606 chains of wire and run 17 services at.Raumati, Otaki Beach, and Hautere Cross. Have run extra wire to serve range and motor near Ohau railway crossing. Have changed some lamp, brackets Otaki beach. The transformer fitters have cleaned and painted several transformers, erected and livened up Kawiu Road transformer set, cleaned and painted several street lamp brackets. Put down several earth pipes and plates on main south line and general maintenance work. Installations. —Mr. C. B. Gilmour has completed four installations on Kawiu Road and is now working at those in Potts Road. During the month 38 new consumers have signed up, and in this number there are six milking motors, six water heaters and four ranges, also 24 applications have been received for extensions to existing installations and these include three milking motors, five water-heaters and two ranges, also temporary supply for 7 h.p. at the new Town Hall, Foxton. Test Room. —Five ranges have been dried out, tested and delivered to consumers. During the month 41 installations have b’een connected which include uine ranges, 11 water-heaters, three milking motors and two industrial motors.

Paiaka Mill.—A letter.will be placed before the Board at this meeting from Mr. H. Seifert, managing director of Paiaka, Ltd., flaxmillers, asking for the supply of electric power at their mill which is situated across the Manawatu River, about a mile west from Spiers’ mill on the Paiaka Road. They will require power for a stripper and a scutcher during the day, about 65 h.p., and it is their intention to run the stripper on night shift, which should bring a revenue of approximately £3OO. The cost of erecting an E.H.T. line from the present line, along an unformed road, which runs to a point near the river bank opposite the mill, together with the necessary transformer, would be approximately £470, and from this point the L.T. service line would cross the river. The 'estimated cost of this would be about £BO, which would be chargeable to the consumer. It would be necessary to have a guarantee of say £IOO per year revenue for 5 years, as there are not any more consumers along the route of this line. I would recommend that the standard day and night rates for flaxmills of this size be charged. The report was adopted. Housing Requirements. The Engineer, at the request of the chairman, reported upon 'the Board’s housing requirements. The report stated: —It is Very difficult indeed to rent a house anywhere in Levin, and to secure a cottage, such as is required by the Board’s general foreman, seeing it should be near the sub-station, makes the choice, more circumscribed and the matter all the more difficult. It is so hard a matter that it is evident the Board will have to seriously consider whether it is advisable at the present juncture to erect another cottage on its own property, suitable for the general foreman. If the Board decided that it was in its interests to build forth with, the engineer suggested a five-roomed house, built of bricks supplied by the Prisons Department which were offered to local bodies at a cost on trucks Levin of £4 9s per 1000. The probable cost would be £IOOO. _ The chairman said the Board’s .idea at first was to build a d'epot, garage and workshop on its own ground and to have its engineer, inspector and foreman housed near the depot. The two houses already erected were let at a sum that returned interest and sinking fund. Messrs Barber and Gunning considered it necessary to have another house. Mr. Vincent considered that 6f per

cent, (interest and sinking fund) on the cost was totally inadequate. Th'e chairman: It is if you are letting a house as a landlord does, for pro; fit. Mr. Vincent said the cost would be paid off by that rate in 36 years, but there nnist be maintenance during that period. 1 The chairman said they could build a cheaper house and get the same rent, but the Board would not be as ivell off as if it built a concrete house. Its function was to give service and sell current and not to make a profit out of letting houses. They had to consider what it was worth to the Board to have its officers handy in the case of a breakdown. Mr. Kilsby said they could not \do better than build in brick or concrete and even if the Board lost a little they would make it up in the saving of time when there was a break down. Mr. Ross said it was practically an increase in salary to provide houses at lower rentals than they could be got alsewhcre. The chairman said the idea of the Board had always been to have a satisfied staff and to have them available to their work. They could not have a satisfied staff, if they were always liable to have th’eir houses sold over their heads. The amount of the rents had been taken into consideration in fixing salaries. Mr. Vincent said he did not suggest making a profit. If the houses cost 61 per cent it was not right only to charge that as rent. It was decided to have plans drawn and tenders called for the erection of a house, the rental of which would be fixed later, the chairman saying all the houses must be put on the same basis.