HOROWHENUA POWER BOARD

Shannon News, 23 August 1929, Page 4

HOROWHENUA POWER BOARD

AUGUST MEETING. The monthly meeting of the Horowhenua Electric' Power Board war held on Tuesday, in the Municipal Chambers, Levin, there being present: Messrs G. A. Monk (chairman), T. G. Vincent, R. Bryant, E. S. Morse, A. E. Hyde, C. Blenkhorn, W. E. Barber, and A! J. Pethcrick, Mr P. W. Goldsmith (secretary and treasurer) and Mr J. A. Smith (engineer). ADVERTISING METHODS.

A circular was received from the Power Boards Association, stating that the report of the joint advertising committee was submitted to the Conferenrce and it was resolved that it be received and that the whole question of advertising be referred to the executive committee so that it might be investigated and placed before the Boards for their opinions, and that the executive have power to act. When the question has been discussed, the scheme approved by the executive will be placed before the Boards.

The Chairman stated that this was a matter that had been discussed for some time by the Association and the executive, and various schemes had been submitted. One scheme, from a firm in Wellington, had been submitted to the Wellington City Council and the Wairarapa Power Board; it was a separate scheme, under which the firm offered a certain number of booklets free and all over that number at a price per hundred. Apparently the firm's scheme was a fairly cheap one, and he understood that the Wairarapa Board, since taking it up, had just about doubled its installations —there had been room for a good deal of development in that district. The main point now was that there was considered to be plenty of power available in New Zealand and that every effort should be made by the Boards to use as much of it as possible, to the benefit of the Department, the Boards and the traders in eket/:cal material. The communication w;-.s formally received, on the Chairman's motion. STREET LIGHTING.

The Te Awamutu Power Board wrote stating that it had under consideration the revision of charges for street lighting, and asking for particulars as to this Board's charges and conditions. The action of the Secretary in supplying the desired information was endorsed.

The Foxton Borough Council applied to have the positions of three street .lamps changed. The Engineer reported that the matter was being attended to.

LEVIN ABATTOIR LOAN

Information was received from the Levin Borough Council as to the terms of the abattoir loan of £BI6O, in which the Board has invested £3OOO.

The Secretary explained that he had asked for the particulars so as to have them on record. ELECTRICAL PUMPS FOR DRAINAGE.

Mr Ronald J. Law wrote stating that he proposed installing an electrically driven pump for the draining of swamp property at Buckley. He asked for quotations on the following bases: —(a) Flat rate, per annum; (b) ■24 hours, per clay; (c) 20 hours, per clay; (d) night load only. A 4 to 5 h.p. motor would be required. The writer urged the Board to make the prices as attractive as possible, as this installation would be the forerunner of many drainage pumps in the swamp area. He would be pleased to meet an officer .of the Board on the ground.

The Chairman remarked that the Board's rates were fixed. In answer to Cr. Barber's request for information, the Engineer stated that the rate for unrestricted hours was 2d per unit for the first 3000 units per quarter, and lsd for more than that quantity. If the motors did not run in the morning, the charge for a period from 1.30 to 6 p.m. was IM. From G p.m. to G a.m. the rate was id per unit. The minimum charge was 7*/6 per horse-power.

The Chairman: If we get a night peak, we have the power to alter those rates.

The Engineer: We only give the afternoon rate on condition that our peak is in the morning; and that Ave have poAver to spare in the afternoon. Mr Barber: I think it is a thing Ave

should encourage. There is a tremendous area of wet land on that side.

The Enginer: We have two of them on now. The matter was left in Mr Smith's hands. RAILWAY LIGHTING. Further correspondence was considered with reference to the Board's charges, recently reduced, for the railway station at Paekakariki. The Signal Engineer of the Railway Department wrote to the last meeting of the Pjoard, suggesting a further reduction. The Secretary reported that he had replied advising the Signal Engineer that the Board regretted that the price fixed was not satisfactory to him, but believed that it was a fair and equitable rate and could not see its way to make a, further reduction at present. The secretary's letter also stated, that no doubt there were some instances where power could be supplied more cheaply than by this Board, but it would probably be found that in most cases the outside rates were higher. It was impossible to get a uniform rate, and it would never be possible for a Board operating in a country district to~ supply power as cheaply as was done in large centres of population. This Board was striving for as low rates as possible for its consumers, but it had to proceed on safe lines, and ■felt that the new rate was as far as it could go at present. A reply was received from the Signal Engineer, pointing out that the station and 24 railway houses were connected with the supply, and stating also that the Department had decided to instal the light at the Foxton station, Levin station and two houses, and Waikanae station and tfour houses, all before March 31st next. In view of the Department's decision to make these installations, and the fact that it was the largest consumer in the Board's district, he asked if the Board would .consider a further reduction in the price to the Department. The Chairman said that the Department charged the occupier of each house Is a week extra for the electrical installation. He moved that the Signal Engineer's letter be received, and that the Secretary's letter to him be endorsed. Mr Morse seconded the motion.

The Secretary: Might we tell them that the Board will re-consider it next year?

The Chairman: •! don't think so. Mr Morse: They have got their con cession.

It was mentioned that the responsibility of collecting the charges for current used in the houses was not undertaken by the Department, but was upon the Board. The motion was carried.

TREASURER'S REPORT. The following report was presented by the Treasurer: — Levin Borough Abattoir Loan Debentures. The purchase of these debentures was completed on July 29th, when debentures, 30 in number for £IOO each with relative coupons attached, were delivered at the head office and the Board's cheque for £3OOO was duly handed over to the sellers. The debentures are repayable in 1957, and bear interest at 5$ per cent. Accounts. In addition to the before-mentioned sum of £3OOO for debentures, there is a further total amount of £BSO 16s 9d to be confirmed by the Board. This sum is made up of: (1) Salaries foi' July, £292 Is 8d; (2) wages, £419 15s. lid; (3) installations, £57, 18s; (4) National Provident Fund, £42 5s 6d; and (5) miscellaneous payments for freights, deposits returned, bureau fees, etc., £3B 15s Bd. The wages included, this month, payment for three fortnightly periods. The amount is therefore higher than usual; and besides there is a small increase in the number of men employed, to meet the demands for new connections, which are numerous just now. This is undoubtedly the busy season of the year for extensions.

The accounts to be passed by the Board amount to £3051 19s lid. As- is not unusual, Ave have to meet a considerable payment of interest at the end of the month, which accounts for £2035 of the total amount to be passed for payment. Poles, copper cable, meters and others goods paid for out of loan moneys, account for about £647. Further payments are for motors, ranges, water-heaters; also benzine, tyres and spares for motor vehicles, Leviu Borough rates, election expenses, and nxaiiv sundries. > Installations. It Avill be of interest to the members to knoAv that, in reference to the Board's transactions under this head, some £58,000 has been collected to July 3.lst last, and in round figures £3220 was outstanding at that date. The folloAving table slioavs the transactions since the inception of the Avork: — Cash

Cash Receipts. The cash receipts for the month are very similar in the total amount received to those of last year. The present position is as folloAVs: — Electricity, July, 1929, £4521 14s sd; total for 4 months, £15,253 4s. Penalties, July, 1929, £32 los 4d; total for four months, £ll2 3g Id.

Sundry debtors, July, 1929, £514 Os lQd; total for 4 months, £1495 19s 6d. Interest on installations, Julv, 1929, £2O 3 3 3d; total for 4 months,' £49 8s 2d.

'Miscellaneous, Julv, 1929, £63 6s od; total for 4 months, £264 9s 2d. Totals, £5152 0s 3d; £17,175 3s lid. The Chairman moved the adoption of the report. He said he thought that the position in regard to outstanding accounts for installations was very satisfactory. In the Manawatu Board's area, where £IOO,OOO had been spent, there was only about £2OOO outstanding in this respect. The two districts on this part of the coast, therefore, had done very well. Mr Barber: The position is very satisfactory. The motion was seconded by Mr Vincent, and carried.

ENGINEER'S REPORT

The Engineer reported .as follows for the period since the last meeting of the Board:—

Twenty-nine new service lines have been erected, extra phases run on four existing services, and two temporary services and alterations to one existing service line made. Fifty-nine .poles have been fitted and erected, and 386 chains of wire run out, exclusive of service lines. Of the new services, 12 were services to milking sheds. One outdoor substation has been erected (temporary) to supply power to the contractors at the Waikawa Stream bridge. Forty-five chains of L.T. on E.H.T. poles has been erected on the MakeruaTane Road to serve Mr Wyber's farm. L.T. was extended at Tokomaru to supply a house and shed. Extra phases were run along Doctor's Eoad, Otaki. A patrol of the whole of the southern E.H.T. lines was carried out, and they were found to be in good order generally; a few small ajustments will require attention. Three transformers have been re-conditioned and five trucks 'of poles have been unloaded and stacked.

Seventy-four single-phase and seven polyphase meters have been tested, six single-phase and three polyphase meters have been repaired and re-tested, three ranges dried out, tested, and delivered to consumers. The usual maintenance to motor vehicles has been carried out. A portable transformer platform has been made tip: one 11,000-volt line switch and one 11,000-volt switch panel completed, and a quantity of line material made up. Condensers. —I would ask authority to purchase two 25 k.v.a. condensers complete with auto-transformors, which are available from stock at £l2O each. I propose to install one at the Whitanui Sub-station to counteract the bad effect of the induction motors on the power factor, and the other probably at Levin. These condensers would work in with any scheme which may be adopted at a later date for the improvement of the power factor. In moving the adoption of the report, the chairman referred to the Engineer's request for condensers, and said that Mr Smith hoped to bring down eventually a scheme which would remedy a good deal of the trouble with the power factor. The Engineer felt that, if a condenser were installed at Whitanui, it would effect a considerable saving to the Board —at least fifty per cent, on the capital expenditure. Eventually this Board Avould have to do what other Boards had done to remedy this difficulty. Mr Vincent, who seconded the motion, aisked why the condenser was necessary at Whitanui, but not at other place's where there were big flaxmills. The Engineer stated, in reply, that at the Poplar mill, at Messrs Eoss, Rough and Co.'s main mill at Foxtoa, and at Seifert's mill, there were synchronous motors, the magnetising of which was done by a direct-current generator on the same shaft, and theie counteracted the bad effect of the other motors. • The mills that had these motors for correction obtained a special rate. If the Whitanui mill put in the improvement, it could have the slight reduction in the rate, but if the Board put it in, the Board would get the benefit of it. It would not only benefit Whitanui, but, in the event of Whitanui not running, it would improve the power factor/of all the other mills running between there and Foxton.

The report was adopted, and authority was given for the purchase of the two condensers and auto-transformers. RAUMATI BEACH.

Mr Petheiick asked what progress had been'made with the application by Mr Eatwell for an extension of the power line to serve his store, also adjacent properties, at Eaumati Beach. The Engineer stated that he had replied infoiraing the applicant what the cost of the line would be and what was the amount of the 18 per cent, guarantee on that cost, as required by the Board from the prospective consumers.

EXCHANGE OF DEBENTURES. It was resolved, on the motion of Mr Vincent, seconded by Mr Barber, that the agreements in reference to the purchase of 50 debentures of £IOO- - from the Central Power Board and the sale of 50 of this Board's debentures of the same'amount to tli2 Central Board, at interest of 5| per cent, in each 2ase, be confirmed, and that the chairman and the secretary sign the agreements on behalf of this Board.

Year ended — Debits. . received. March 31st, 1924 £1,144 £1,102 March 31st, 1925 20,567 7,677 March 31st, 1926 24,211 20,506 March 31st, 1927 8,876 12,458 March 31st, 1928 3,428 5,503 July 31st, 1929 620 1,405 £58,081 Outstanding July 31st, 1029 £3,220 £61,301 £61,301