COUNTRY POWER BOARDS

Sun (Auckland), Volume IV, Issue 983, 28 May 1930, Page 13

COUNTRY POWER BOARDS

ANNUAL MEETINGS HELD From Our Own Correspondents The monthly meeting of the Thames Valley Power Board was held at Te Aroha yesterday, Mr. F. M. Strange presiding. A letter was read from the Tauranga Electric-Power Board stating it was understood the Thames Valley Board would not make the electric installation at Waihi Beach until a guarantee of £320 per annum was forthcoming, and asking if the board would cede that portion of the district to Tauranga. It was resolved not to cede the Beach area to Tauranga. Mr. F. M. Strange presided at the annual meeting and read the chairman’s annual report, which was adopted. Mr. F. M. Strange was re-elected chairman and Mr. J. Price vice-chair-man. The honorarium of the chairman was increased to £2OO. The engineer’s annual report stated that the number of motors now installed in the board’s area, exclusive of Thames and Te Aroha boroughs, was as follows:—Milking machines, 1,793; general farm, 352; industrial, 448. These include dairy factories 22, flax mills 3, Government workshops 2, quarries 9, sawmills 3. Line construction work done during the year included the linking up of the 11,000-volt lines between Te Poi and Waiomio, Maukoro and Patetonga, and Waikino and Waihi borough. The Waihi Plains had been reticulated. The annual report of the chairman stated that receipts had shown a substantial increase amounting to £13,944, while the sinking funds invested had reached a total of £93,142, which, together with the reserve of £12,413, brought the total reserves to £105,555 and showed the board was in a very sound financial jjosition. Now the meter system had been installed and an ample supply of power was available, it had been decided to carry out an extensive canvass of the board’s area for the sale of ranges and other electric appliances, and thus increase the load, thereby making a further reduction in charges possible. There had been a substantial reduction in the amount of advances to consumers. Although the sales for the year amounted to £20,443 the amount outstanding today was £21,294, being a reduction of £3,057 on last year. The board’s members and consumers could look with confidence to the future. With the operation of the meter system, and the ever-increas-ing load, they might be quite justified in looking for an early reduction in charges. The chairman said he did not intend to offer himself for re-election as a member of the board after the end of the present term. V/AITOMO The annual meeting of the Waitomo Power Board was held at Te Kuiti on Monday. Mr. V. W. Simms was re-elected chairman. In a review of the past year’s work the chairman said that there had been an increase in the sale of current of £1,917 over the previous year, and with a slight increase in the trading department the total increase amounted to £2,061. As expenses had not materially increased, a surplus would have been shown, but for two unfortunate happenings which affected the board. However, the board was rapidly reaching a paying basis and next year a fair surplus should be shown. Ninety new installations and 200 extensions to existing ones had been carried out, thus ensuring a larger revenue during the coming year. In addition, three new extensions had been completed and current was now being supplied to 14 new consumers. It was decided that three committees should be formed: Accounts committee, comprising the chairman, Messrs. Lee and Carroll; works committee, Messrs. Blackman, Boddie, Gorton and Irvine; finance committee, comprised of all members of the board. The engineer reported that owing to increasing activities, the Otorohanga office would have to be reorganised to cope with the altered conditions. A man should be stationed there permanently to supervise the giving out of stores, and also to collect accounts.