ELECTRIC PROGRESS

Sun (Auckland), Volume II, Issue 367, 30 May 1928, Page 7

ELECTRIC PROGRESS

POWER IN COUNTRY BOARD’S OPERATIONS (Special to THB SUN) TE -AROHA, Monday. j The Thames Valley Power Board was the first power board in the Do- I minion to supply electricity seven years ago, and since then it has made | great progress. At the annual meeting to-day re- ■ ports were submitted by the manager. Mr. R. Sprague, and the engineer, Mr. ; W. G. McLeod. According to the reports, in 1922 the j board’s revenue from the sale of electricitv amounted to £ 6,260. For the year ended March 31, 1928, the revenue from this source was £107,534. The following figures show the revenue for the respective years:—l922, £6,260; 1923, £22,701; 1924, £42,391; 1925, £59,001; 1926, £76,301; 1927, £93,047; 1928, £107,534. The 6,626 consumers of electricity include the users of 1,700 powerdriven milking machine motors and 655 other kinds of motor, which is considerably more than one-third of the total number of milking machine motors for the whole of the Dominion. This factor called for a service which members claimed this afternoon was not excelled by any other New Zealand power board. This service is given by 10 “troublemen,” each of whom is provided with a half-ton truck, at a cost of £5,000 per annum.

PROFIT AT CAMBRIDGE INCREASE IN CONSUMERS (From Our Own Correspondent) CAMBRIDGE, Tuesday. The eighth annual meeting of the Cambridge Power Board was held this afternoon, the chairman. Mr. M. j Wells, presiding. The annual financial statement and I general review of the board’s operations showed that the past year had been a very successful one. The net revenue amounted to £17,859, an increase of £960 over the previous year’s returns. The total revenue represented a return of 16.5 per cent, on the board’s capital outlay. The year resulted in a net profit of £474. The total number of consumers is 1,128. an increase of 5.5 per cent, for the year as against 7.7 last year. The report was received with appreciation by the members. In supplementing his report the chairman referred to the decision of the Public Works Department to close I down Horahora when Arapuni was under way. He said this was to be regretted as he had hoped that it might be possible to have Horahora set aside for the use of the four Waikato boards. , Arapuni could supply further afield, but Horahora was the Waikato’s I birthright. It was unreasonable that the Public Works Department should j supply Auckland so much cheaper than, say, at Cambridge. The Auck- : land board was entitled to some discount on account of it being a large | eons timer, but the difference in the

charges was too wide. Mr. Wells was unanimously reelected chairman, and was congratulated on having successfully held office since the inception of the board. Mr. W. Harbutt was re-elect-d deputy-chair man. It was agreed to reduce the first horse-power chai'ged on milking motors by 10s. and that the charge to the Borough Council for street lighting be reduced £1 a lamp.

WAITOMO POWER BOARD DEPRECIATION DISCUSSED (From Our Own Correspondent) TE KUITI, To-day. Mr. W. A. Lee was re-elected chairman at the annual meeting of the Waitomo Power Board yesterday. With the object of reducing the cost of reticulating scattered areas in which the 20 per cent, guarantee could not be obtained, the manager reported having inspected the steel rails that are now being disposed of by the Takapuna Tramways Company. By the use of steel rails for poles in place of concrete, the cost of construction per mile would be reduced from £4OO to £2 84 6s Bd, including cost of poles, cartage, erection and snigging. The 35ft rails were in good order and quite suitable for this purpose. It was decided to purchase 100 tons of the rails, subject to the approval of the Public Works Department. The following remit will be forwarded to the Power Boards’ Conference to be held in Wellington in July:—“That an amendment of the Power Board’s Act should be made exempting all boards from making any fund for depreciation for the fVrst seven years of their operations.” Revenue receipts for April amounted to £1,549 7s sd. The total number of consumers is as follows:—Te Kuiti Borough, 716; Otorohanga Township, ,168: country districts, 24; total. S 1.128.