POWER TRANSMISSION POLES.

Shannon News, 23 July 1926, Page 2

POWER TRANSMISSION POLES.

N.Z. TREES FOR N.Z. INDUSTRIES

The magnitude to which hydl'Oelectricity will extend throughout N.Z.. aud the problematical life of the aver ago transmission polo erected wit-inn the. last three or four years, renders it imperative that something should lx done towards making the industry a Dominion one. Reckoning the life o> a heavy pole to be somewhere in the region "of 20 years it is timely for power boards throughout N.Z. to takefull advantage of the affbrestation service controlled by the Government, and to p*lant trees that will provide timber suitable for transmission poles 20 oi so years hence. This subject was introduced by Mr. vV. H. Gunning at the Horowhenua Power Board meeting on Tuesday, in connection with the replacement of p'oles throughout. Mr. Gunning said that an officer m the Forestry Department had told him that it was possible to grow a tree, suitable for poles, up to a girth of 13 inches in 20 years. In the course 01 a score of years the poles would have to be renewed* and if it was at al ! possible to grow them in this county it would not be so expensive for ab the power boards, and the question was well worth going into. At the present time it meant that a great amount 0,1 money was going out of the country, and if it could be kept im N.Z. that alone would count in favour of the proposition to produce our own poles. 11. gums were planted, and it was no; possible to use them as .poles, well, it would not be any loss. He was given to understand that they required but a littl'e attention for the first few years, and practically none after that. He would like to see the Afforestation‘Department consulted, as possibly they could give data on the matter. • 'Tlie chairman: .Why not take some shares in one of these forestry companies? (Laughter). Mir. Gunning: I could tell you something about one*or two of them. Mr A W. E. Barber said Mr. Gunning had opened up a very interesting question, and he considered some thought should ibe given to the matter, as there was" no \ doubt that gums did well in this country., In a small way, said tin* speaker, die had done some experimenting on flip sand country, aud some of the trees \had grown to a height of lbfeet in 5 pr 6 years. Mr. Gun In in g said there was a lot of waste land\ that wmuld grow- timber, when practically little else would flourish there.. ;

Mr. Ross recognised the importance of the question, and suggested that, a 1 the Power Board Conference to be hoid this , week ini Wellington, the mattei should tlien by brought up, it being a national one. In all probability the Forestry Department would arrange do undertake the work, with a view to supplying the future needs of power boards. Individual boards, if they handled the subject without the knowledge or the _ lancjl, might experience a little disappointment, whereas the Government had the (whole of the service in their hands apcl could handle the thing in a thoroughly efficient manner. The chairman sayd that the importance of this question had been brought several times before the Government of the past few year's. He had attended various deputations in connection with local bodies arsd dairy companies who had waited upon the late Mr. Massey, in regard to;sand drift country near the coast, and fcsonie experimental work had been undertaken on the Rangitik’ei . River. \ .He was rather afraid that if, so fa»r as it concerned power boards, they wjere going to take the sand country thelv would not get poles of much use witlhin 20 or 2d years, but this would not be dp on better class land. From his observations of the Board’s lines, h'e woulfl be inclined to sav that the heavier pd|les, at any rate, would last longer than s*o years, and the main trouble would be ivith the lighter poles. If poles could b(t grown in this country, it was going qo mean a big thing for the power boards and the public in general. This was a national matter and the Government should be' impressed with the neces sity' of planting trees in this country, The Forestry Department was doinh; good work, but the speaker was eonviijieed that the work being done in the aentre of the island was just 20 years tjoo late. He would be pleased to discups this matter at tire forthcoming con foroncc, and endeavour to get some coneterted action so far as planting was concerned, with the idea of being a.future benefit to the power boards. j Mr. Kilsby said that the njost essential thing was the class of laicd on which the tree was grown, and (the kind o«. tree growing—that was a Jmatter that had to be aonsidered above* all else.