VANDALISM ON THE HIGHWAY

Shannon News, 19 October 1928, Page 2

VANDALISM ON THE HIGHWAY

DAMAGE TO ELECTRIC FITTINGS?

Mischievous damage to transmission apparatus in the neighbourhood of Manakau was brought to the notice of the Power Board, on Tuesday by the Engineer (Mr J. A. Smith), in whose monthly report the following .paragraph appeared: —"Stone throwing has been going on just north of Manakau. One of. the E.H.T. insulators on the transformer, switch panel;, near the Waikawa railway crossing, was found to be broken into several pieces and the stones were lying on the platform. Some L.T. shackles were" also broken at the Manakau /North railway crossing. I would suggest that a reward be offered for information that would lead to a conviction for these offences."

The chairman. (Mr G. A. Monk stated that such occurrences were :

source of worry not only to the Board and its officers, but to the users who were drawing electricity from the particular line, as the current had to b-j suddenly cut* off so that the trouble could be located and remedied.

On the motion of Mr C. Blenkhorn, it was decided to offer a reward of £o for information leading to the detection of anyone guilty of wilfully damaging the Board's property.

Other instances of vandalism were mentioned by the Engineer, who stated that, some time previously, damage had been done at Te Horo by shots from a pea-rifie, and on a recent occasion, although not connected"with the Board's property, a dangerous offence was committed near the Waikawa bridge, three benzine tins filled with water being placed across the road at night.