RECORD OF PROGRESS

Sun (Auckland), Volume III, Issue 914, 6 March 1930, Page 7

RECORD OF PROGRESS

History of Auckland Power Board SOUND DEVELOPMENT WHEN on February 10 ; 190 S, the Auckland City Council officially opened its steam-power plant for the generation of electricity on a site at Freeman’s Bay, it sowed the seed of a demand that was to eclipse the most optimistic expectations. Like a snowball set in motion at the top of a long slope and which gathers size and momentum at every turn, the demand grew with such rapidity that it is only now with the development of the big Arapuni scheme that the City has been able to cope with it. The history of the Auckland Electrical Supply is a story of continual extension in an endeavour to keep pace with the growing requirements of the City. Today an ample supply is assured, and with this incentive for greater induV trial development a new and very enticing prospect is opened up for the province and City of Auckland.

As far as electrical development was concerned, Auckland was one of the slowest of the main centres to leave the mark and for a while development was not rapid, but once fairly in its stride and the use of electricity becoming: more and more popular, the immense natural development of the City commenced to assert itself, and ihe pace became fast and furious with demand always in the lead. Prior to February, 1908, anyone who required or desired to use electricity in Auckland had to depend on small private plants, and in consequence few people were to be found with what could be rightly termed, in those times, a luxury. It was not until 1906 that any attention was paid to the possibilities of a public electrical supply, when the City Council decided to engage Mr. Goodman, of Adeiaide, to report on the prospects of com-

mencing such a supply for the City of Auckland. Leading up to the formation of. the Auckland Electric-Power Board, it is necessary to deal briefly with the history of the electrical undertaking of the City in its earlier stages. The City Council opened its first station on a site in Drake Street, Freeman’s Bay, on February 10. 190 S, running it in conjunction with the city destructor. The plant consisted of two steam generators, each of 300 h.p. capacity supplied with steam from two boilers. At the date of the opening mains had been laid in about a dozen of the principal streets in the city, and 105 applications for supply had been received. Of these 12 were actually connected to the mains. This, certainly, was not a very big i-tart, but as the reticulation extended the demand gradually increased until February 19, 1913, when a new station was opened by the Mayor (Sir James Parr) on the waterfront at King s Wharf. This event marked a rapidly increased demand, and in 1915 it was found necessary to authorise still further additions. Owing to the war great difficulty was experienced in obtaining delivery of new machinery, and it was not until July, 1920, that the last Of these were installed and in operation. In 1020 it was decided to combine both the Electrical Supply Station and the Tramway Power Station and to generate the whole of the supply for the city and suburbs from the King s Wharf Station, shutting down the tramway' power house as a generating station. In accordance with this, three new and large units were added to the station and the buildings were extended, the first of the new machines being put into operation on October 18. 1922, some few months after the passing over of the undertaking into the hands of the Power Beard. The remainder of the plant came to hand and was taken over on December 10, 1923.

merged into the larger scheme and on August S, 1921, an agreement was entered into hy the Auckland City Council and 14 other local bodies whereby it was agreed to form a power board and purchase the existing electricity undertaking of the Auckland City Council. Lengthy negotiations ensued before the Auckland Electric-Power Board Act, 1921-22, was passed. This provided for the purchase of the City Council’s plant by the Power Board, the date of transfer being fixed at June 30, 1921. The first election of 12 members was held on' February 26, 1922, and the board took office on April 1, 1922, the present chairman, Mr. W..J. Holdsworth, being elected chairman. POWER SUPPLY In the reticulation of its district the board was faced with a tremendous task, as the system, at the time of taking over, extended only through the City area and a small portion of Mount Eden. Naturally, there was a keen demand for the supply as early as possible, and as it was essential that a comprehensive scheme be adopted a loan of £600,000 for a reticulation scheme was submitted to the ratepayers on June 28, 1922, and sanctioned. It is perhaps worthy of note at this stage to recall that previous to this several of the local bodies had opposed the extension of supply to their districts by the City Council. Since those days the board’s staff has been continuously increased aud the work of reticulation has been vigorously pushed ahead. In 190 S, when the City Council’s station in Freeman’s Bay was. opened, there were 12 connections of the City mains, and when the Power Board took office on April 1, 1922, there were 8,533 consumers and a maximum load of 6,900 k.w. Today there are 44,995 consumers, a sustained peak load of 36,000 k.w., and during the last financial year 113,000,000 units were sold. At the present time the board directly provides employment for 480 people. But the board’s task was by no means an easy one. It was not merely a question of sitting down and watching the demand grow. The demand certainly grew, and with astonishing rapidity, but not so the supply. It was anticipated that the Government supply from Arapuni would be available on April 1, 1928, but with the engineering difliculties encountered at Arapuni, and consequent delay in the delivery of supply, the board was faced with the prospect of catering for an ever-increasing demand. USEFUL STAND-BY Now at last the board is set free to build up its demand without any misgivings about lack of power at a future date, and it is also relieved of the necessity of 'carefully watching its station capacity. Despite the natural difliculties of building up big loads with a steam generating plant, the board has built up an undertaking that is the envy of every elec-