USE OF ELECTRICITY.

Shannon News, 24 May 1927, Page 3

USE OF ELECTRICITY.

greater night load desirable. FLAX-DRYING AND BLEACHING. The Horowhenua Power . Board is faced with the problem known to experts as the “diversity of load. ■ s maximum demand on the Manga uv > supply occui'3 in the morning when tne milking motors and flax industry is starting up and again in the middle ot the day when the ranges are aduecl to the industrial motors. The Board pays the Department throughout the 24 hours on the peak created at the penoc.s mentioned, and consequently it is paying throughout the night for current that is not being used. The problem is to divert some of the load from the day peak, (thereby reducing the payment to the Department) to the night hours, or at least to encourage the use of current at night by selling it _at cheap rates, such extra use involving the Board in no additional outlay to the Department, but bringing in' extra revenue. / i .. These points were discussed at the annual meeting of the Board this week, consequent upon an enquiry by Mr. Vincent as .to whether anything could be done to induce people to install more ranges and other appliances.'. The Chairman (Mr. G. A. ■ Monk) said it had been Mr. Overton’s idea to thoroughly comb the district and. offer ever/ electrical appliance possible to the consumers, but in the present state of the Mangahao scheme it was not advisable to push their load up r,oo : much. The Committee felt that something would have to be done to en courage people in the towns to malic greater use of the . lighting of their business premises. Perhaps son'll system of commercial or community lighting could be adopted. The Horo wlienua system at the present time had a heavy industrial load, and it was the only system on the Mangahao scheme that had a day peak. .In order to All up the valleys between the peaks, they should do something to induce greater consumption for lighting at night. They could give a very good rate for any industry that could run at night. The flaxmillers and County Council (metal-crushing) had already taken advantage of the night rate That was the load they had to encourage. The Mangahao peak was between 5.30 and 6 p.m., but the Horoivhenuo peak came at 7.30 a.m. and again-between 11 and 1.2 noon. They were thus very good customers of the Public Works‘Department. The flax industry could work very well at,nighr, though perhaps at the sacrifice of son.*efficiency and output, but lie did not know that there we/e any other industries in the district that they could look to for a night load. Mr. Seifert said the drying of hemp by electricity was one direction in which they might find an outlet. It would release a large area of paddocks, and the hemp could be dried as soon as it was bleached. It might be well if the Engineer looked into the possibilities in this connection;

Mr. Gunning said experiments were made some years ago in the bleaching of hemp by electricity. Perhaps Mr. Seifert knew about it, but he believed it was found that, given cheap supplies of electric’tiy, a‘ better bleach could be secured than by paddocking. 7k? subject was not pursued further, but will no doubt be taken up in the coming year.