ELECTRIC POWER.

Taranaki Daily News, 17 October 1922, Page 5

ELECTRIC POWER.

QUESTION OF EXTENSIONS. MEETING DEMAND IN BOROUGH. SUPPLY FOR OTHER AREAS. REPORT BY THE ENGINEER. A lengthy report on the extension of the electric lighting and power service from the New Plymouth hydro-electric works was submitted to the Borough Council last night by the electrical engineer (Mr. R. H. Bartley). During the discussion on the report Mr. Bartley explained that he had dealt with all the applications for power which had been received, and with all the possibilities of extension within the borough and outside, with the exception of one or two places on which lie will report later. The council authorised going ahead with the extension to Brooklands and Frankleigh Road, for which funds were at present available, while the balance of the report was referred to the hydro-electric committee for consideration. The committee is also to get into touch with the Waitara Borough Council to ascertain definitely what power that borough will take. EXTENSIONS WITHIN BOROUGH. The report stated:— We have on our register to date 238 applications for heating and cooking which are awaiting connection, amounting to a connected load of approximately 500 horse-power heating and 190 horse-power cooking, or a total of 690 horae-power. These consumers are scattered all over the borough, and in some cases to connect them will require poles to be erected, and in other cases the mains do not contain sufficient copper, and will require to be reinforced or replaced by larger ones, while with a great number of them no alterations are required. There is also the question of houses which may be built , on vacant sections in the near future, and as for these, their requirements can only be assumed. For simplicity, however, I have divided these up into lump sum amounts, which are as under:— £ Fitzroy district 450 Westown district 400 Vogeltown district 450 Avenue Road district 200 Central area 300 Total £lBOO It does not follow that it will be necessary to make this expenditure immediately; in fact it may, and very possibly will be spread over years. The amount allowed for dealing with applications already in hand is £750, and this should prove ample for the wore, so it will be seen that the margin for future extensions is liberal. I consider it advisable to allow an amount of £l2OO for the purchase of meters.

OUTLYING DISTRICTS. Dealing with applications received from ratepayers in and adjacent to the borough -for extensions of mains, the engineer reported, inter alia:— Brooklands Road.—This extension will serve six houses and will cost £76 13s. and sufficient revenue should be derived to make the extension pay. Providing the whole of the ratepayers on this extension are willing to connect up to the supply and sign applications to this effect, the extension is one that I would recommend for the council’s favorable consideration. Glen Almond Estate.—To extend the mains to this estate and supply the bulk of the sections will cost £75 10s. At the present tme there are only two houses on the estate ready to take the supply, and there is a third one building. This extension at the present time will not pay, but I am of opinion that in the very near future, and in all probability before the main could be actually extended, that there will be sufficient consumers on the estate to make it pay. This, together with the fact that it is within the borough, I recommend it for favorable consideration. Belt Road.—This extension would be a branch line from the main feeding Glen Almond estate. It will supply one house immediately, and in all probability two others to be built in the near future. The cost would be £2O 6s. and would be self-supporting. Carrington Road.—This extension is outside the borough, - and. carried for a distance of one mile 36 chains, will supply 17 houses, the majority of which the owners have already signified their willingness to connect up. The total cost, is £455 19s 9d. To make this extension pay requires an annual revenue ot £ll9, or approximately £7 per house per year. This opens up the question of guarantees, and I sincerely trust that the council will hold fast to the principle of guarantees in connection with the running of these lines, otherwise it will be very easy for them to become a burden, on the system.

Frankleigh Park.—This is a short extension of 10 chains, and will supply two houses, the owners of which are both anxious to connect. The cost is £7, arid I recommend that the extension be made.

Frankley Road.—This extension is suggested to run from the end of the existing mains, just outside the borough boundary, to the Frankley Road school, r distance of approximately GO chains, and will serve six houses, not including the school and school-house. The cost of this Extension is estimated at £2BO. and requires an annual revenue of £7O guarantee to make it pay. Cowling Road. —This extension will bo a branch from the line running to the Rotokare dairy factory, and extend a distance of 48 chains along the Cowling Road, serving five, houses and milking plant. The estimated cost or the line is £222, and the revenue required to make it pay is approximately C 45 per year. | Mangorei Road.—This is a very Ion? , road, and it would bo difficult to make an extension pay if th* l lines were carried from end to end. The whole l of the residents on this road, however, can be supplied by making four smaller extensions. The revenue required to make ths extension pay would be approximately £B7 per year, and is easily represented by the houses already erected. SPOTSWOOD AND WAITARA. Spotswood.—This is a fairly big extension, and represents a capital cost of £1649 18fi 6d. In this amount is included a much larger cable than would be required for the supply of Spotswood . along, but in the event of the line being

continued to Omata, and even further, the large cables will be necessary for economical transmission. This extension will supply approximately 40 residences, the most of which we already have applications for. We would require to receive a revenue of approximately £320 per year guaranteed from extension to make it pay. Line to Waitara.—This line, to provide for the requirements of the district economically, must go out at a pressure of not less than 6600 volts, and consideration must therefore start from one of the main transmission lines at Rimu Street, Fitzroy. The line is designed to deliver 200 h*p. at Waitara power station at a pressure of 6000 volts. The total cost of this line is £5915 10s, and would require to produce a revenue of approximately £l2OO per year to make it pay. It is also possible to pick up revenue along this line to approximately £2OO to £250 per year, and this has been taken into consideration in the above figure. I have ako taken out calculations on the requirements of the L'pperton district, the principal users of power being the flour mill and Lepperton dairy factory. The cost of running high tension main to flour mill will be £1314 Is; from flour mill to dairy factory, £879 6s; for picking up residences. milking plants, etc., on route, including railway station, £872 15s; total. £3066 2s. We would require to receive a joint revenue of £7BO per year to make this line pay.

In conclusion, the report stated that the total cost of all the extensions enumerated would be £12,864 4r fid, from which the estimated revenue was £4087 on an allowance of 457 horsepower. In these figures he had not included the balance of £lO5O for sundry extensions within the borough, which was included in the amount of £lBOO mentioned in the first paragraph, nor had he included the item of £l2OO suggested for the purchase of meters. There were a number of extensions that required looking into, such as Mangorei and the coast towards Omata, which, if they could be handled economically, should assist those put forward, and, in all probability, lines that were already erected. COUNCIL FAVORABLE. Cr. T. N. Blackhall mentioned the ra. f quests from Waitara for power. The people from the outside districts were calling for power, he stated, and he saw no reason why the council should not put forward a loan to enable the work of reticulation to be proceeded with immediately. The people were wanting the power, and the only possible way to obtain revenue from it wa<s to use the power they would have. He thought the council should not hesitate in the matter. Cr. R. A. Large thought the borough should have first consideration. He wished to inquire whether the report dealt with the whole of the possible exhtensions or only those for which applications had been received. Mr. Bartley explained that the report dealt with all the applications received, and all they were likely to receive, except one or two places on which he would report later. Cr. R. L. Parkin said it was quite evident that the power would be available in February, and it seemed to him that the council would have to sell the power as soon as it was obtained. He thought the extensions were necessary before they sold the power. They should arrange with Waitara to take the power. A committee should be set up to deal with that borough, and also with the Lepperton people. He asked if any steps had been taken recently regarding the sale of the hydro lands, where the council had a considerable amount of | money tied up. The Mayor (Mr. F. E. Wilson): It is intended to sell th&se lands in the autumn when the roads are completed. Explaining to Cr. Parkin, Mr. Bartley stated that the low cost of (the Frankley Road extension was due to the fact that the line would cross a gully between the present end of the line and the houses to be served, and consequently only one stand was required.

Cr. J. Brown said that there was no doubt that the best thing to do was to get the work done. What chance was there of carrying a loan? he asked. The Mayor: It is not a question of getting a loan carried, but of raising the money. Cr. Blackball: I don’t see any other wav out. You have the power to sell, and vou must sell it.

The Mayor pointed out there were two small jobs which Mr. Bartley recommended. the Brooklands Road and the Frankley Road. These two works could be financed. out of revenue, and he recommended that they be gone on with, and the rest of the report re'lerrert to the electric light committee. Cr. Parkin suggested that the whole of the work could be done by the borough now with the exception of the Waitara extension. He further suggested that the Waitara people be conferred with, when they could then see what could be done.

The Mayor’s recommendations were then put a« a. motion, being seconded bv Cr. J. Kibby and carried, with the understanding that the committee should confer with Waitara as suggested.