CONCRETE POLES NOT RECOMMENDED

Sun (Auckland), Volume I, Issue 271, 6 February 1928, Page 1

CONCRETE POLES NOT RECOMMENDED

POWER ENGINEER’S REPORT HARDWOOD OR STEEL PREFERRED \ " Reinforced concrete poles for power lines do not find favour with the engineer of the Waitemata Power Board, Mr. F. J. H. Wilson. Reporting to-day on the inadvisability of using concrete poles, Mr. Wilson said: “The accepted practice for transmission line work, namely, hardwood poles where spans do not exceed 100 yards, and steel poles where greater spans can be obtained, is based on sound and well-tried designs.” There could be no doubt, he said, that a more durable type of structure than the timber pole was eventually desirable, but he could not recommend the use of an “expensive and as yet experimental medium.” INCREASED outlay The maximum life of a concrete pole might be taken as 36 years, and the minimum as 20 years. Assuming the board’s expenditure to date on imported hardwood poles was £30,000, the expenditure for an equivalent number of concrete poles would have been £IOO,OOO. Mr. S. E. Kennings said that the concrete pole was bound to take a more important part in reticulation throughout the world. It might be a wise precaution to call for tenders for concrete poles in order to get correct costs. Two arguments in favour of concrete were, that it would find work for people .in New Zealand and that a concrete pole looked much better than a hardwood one. The board should confer with the other power boards about the material. “I would rather see a concrete pole any day in the week than a hardwood one,” said Mr. A. E. Greenslade. The report was received and held over for further consideration.