HYDRO-ELECTRICITY.

Shannon News, 20 April 1928, Page 3

HYDRO-ELECTRICITY.

HOROWHENUA POWER BOARD.

The monthly meeting of the Horowhenua Electric Power Board was held in the Municipal Chambers, Levin, on Tuesday, there being present: Messrs G."A. Monk (chairman), W. E. Barber, T G. Vincent, R. Bryant, E. Morse, C.' Blenkhorn, A. J. Petherick, A. Seifert P W. Goldsmith (secretary ana treasurer), and J. A. Smith (engineer). Leave of absence was granted to Mr W. H. Gunning, who is indisposed, and the Board passed a resolution wishing him a speedy return to IC A letter was received from the Otaki Borough Council, thanking the Board for the very reasonable allowance made in the account for current, in consideration of the restricted service durPOLES NEARMANAWATU BRIDGE ROAD. The acting engineer to the Manawatu County Council (Mr Bond) wrote with reference to the shifting of poles near the new Shannon bridge, stating that he had communicated with the Highways Board's engineer, who, after consulting the Crown Law Office, stated that the Council only had to serve notice on the Board to remove any poles that might become dangerous to traffic. If the poles in question were allowed to remain in their present position, they would become a danger to traffic, and he asked the Board to have them removed as soon as possible. The secretary explained that, some four years ago, .the Board obtained an easpment from a landowner ana took the line through his property. Ihe owner did not claim compensation. The road and approaches to the bridge had been brought close to the Board s lines on that property. When the hue was erected, it, was quite away from and clear of any road existing at the time A new situation had now arisen. In all probability the line must be shifted. It seemed reasonable that the cost of removal and re-creetion should be borne by those responsible for the new position. It would be a matter of £SO or £6O probably. . The chairman said that if the Mana-. watu County Council had used a little more judgment -in acquiring land ior the road, the situation might have been obviated. It would be unfair to expect the Board to bear the whole cost of shifting the line. He moved that the Board's Engineer be instructed to interview the District Engineer of the Public Works Department and go into the matter with him. Replying to a question t>y Mr beifert, the Engineer stated that ■ six or seven poles were involved. The motion was carried. ENGINEERING JOURNAL. The management of the "New Zealand Engineer, "a monthly publication, wrote inviting contributions of interest to the profession.—The matter was referred to the staff. ■ *„__ TREASURER'S REPORT. The following report was presented by the Treasurers — ■ . Audit.—The Audit Inspector, Mr. Ward, is now engaged on the audit of the Board's accounts. It is hoped that the audit will be brought up to 31st March, 1928. Accounts. —The payments made since the last meeting of the Board are now, submitted for confirmation. The total amount is £770 8s 3d, the loan's portion of this expenditure being £124 9s 3d and the revenue's share £645 19s. It will be seen that the. chief items in this expenditure are wages £4Ol Is 10d, salaries £274 ss, Bank draft against rubber hose £lB 12s Id, and an installation account of -£l6 7s 6d. The accounts submitted for the day total £590 7s 7d, of which £416 6s 7d is chargeable to revenue and the balance of £174 Is to loan. The list includes payment for a transformer, range, insulators, motors, benzine, installations, spares, printing, and many sundry accounts. The really heavy account due to the Public Works Department tor electricitv for the quarter ended on the 31st "March has not yet come to hand. • ~ . Receipts for March—As was anticipated, the receipts for March did not come up to the receipts for March, 1927. The amount received from all sources amounted to £3581 10s, and of this sum, receipts for electricity amounted to £2792 3s 2d. The. table hereunder shows that the actual cash receipts from meter rents and electricity sales-total £39,978 17s 4d. Electricity and meter rent for March £2792 3s 2d, total for year £39,978 17s 4d. . _ installation, service ttnjes and tittings, for March £593- 10s 9d, total for year £8312 lis. Interest on installations for March £35 2s 4d, total for year £702 10s sd. Penalties, March £3O 0s Bd, total for year £262 13s 3d. Consumers' deposits, March £l7, total for year £lO5 10s. Rents and miscellaneous, for March £ll3 13s Id, for year £525 10s -7d. Totals, for March £3581 10s; for year £49,887 12s 7d. Receipts for electricity and meter rent from April 1, 1927, to March 31, 1928, £39,978 17s 4d. From April 1, 1926, to March 31, 1927, £34,850 9s 4d. Increase, £5,128 Bs.

CONCESSION BY THE DEPART-

MENT,

The chairman, in moving the adoption of the report, stated that tho account for electricity for the quarter from the Public Works Department had since come to hand, amounting to £2820. An adjustment had been made between the Board and the Department owing to the recent curtailment of the supply. The Department had divided the quarter into two" periods, and charged for the first period on the peak when the load was unrestricted and for the second period on the peak of the restricted load. While the arrangement would not nearly recoup the loss which the Board had sustained, it waa as much as they could ask the Department to do. Even after

receiving this reduction, the Board would lose about £4OO or £SOO on its working. The motion was seconded by ' Mr Seifert.

Mr Vincent asked how the Board stood in reference to the fiaxmill load The Chairman: The estimated loss is about £SOO. That is the biggest item. There are also street lighting find water heaters, £IOO each, and the loss of revenue where we could not enforce the minimum and also in respect of people whom we could not put on as suppliers. The Engineer informed the Board that there had been a loss of £540 on the flaxmills, representing the difference between the day and night loads. Furtherniore,_two mills were off the day shift. The loss on street lighting was £IOO, and on water heaters about £9O. On top of this, people had been asked to restrict the load in cooking. For six weeks no new consumers were put on, and revenue was lost in that direction. Altogether the Board v had lost about £IOOO in revenue. The Chairman: The reduction made from the peak in the quarter is £530. Mr Seifert: Directly and indirectly we must have lost about £ISOO, less the £SOO allowance.

The report was adopted.Mr Vincent asked when the flaxmills were likely to come on again.

Mr Seifert replied that there would not be much doing until about June and July. Some .of the mills were closed altogether for a while.

Mr Barber asked what was the cost to the Board of the damage done by the Foxton fire, and the Engineer replied that it was about £125.

On the motion of Mr Blenkhom, seconded by Mr Bryant, it was resolved that the question of the investment of the depreciation reserve be left to the consideration of the Finance Committee; they to have power to act. Owing to the illness of Mr Gunning, Mr Vincent was appointed to act in his place on the Finance Committee,