POWER FOR TUTUTAWA

Taranaki Daily News, 17 September 1940, Page 4

POWER FOR TUTUTAWA

IMPOSSIBLE AT PRESENT A COMPLEX DIFFICULTY Difficulties, technical, physical, financial and those occasioned by the war, created a position which made it impossible for the Taranaki Electric Power Board to entertain the reticulation and supply of electric jjpwer to the Tututawa district, indicated the chairman, Mr. N. H. Moss, at a meeting of the board at Eltham yesterday when Messrs. R. Corry and E. Walker, Tututawa waited on the board and requested that power be supplied to their district. "These difficulties are not raised to create bogeys— costs have gone up tremendously," said Mr. Moss. _ Quoting figures of the district s population and production, Mr. Corry as spokesman for the deputation, said that the district would provide 19 extra consumers for the board. Practically all of these, with the exception of three, would consume more power as well as lighting current. The district could guarantee £410 yearly. He pointed out that under the preesnt conditions, the district consumed 2274 gallons of petrol yearly, which could be saved were electric power available. Technical Difficulties. Illustrating first the technical difficulties, Mr. Moss said that it was not practicable to "hitch" on to the Douglas end of the line running between the East Road sub-station and Douglas and give a satisfactory supply. The line was nine miles long and carried 6Q.00 volts— if the six miles of line required at Tututawa were connected the electrical pressure would be too weak to be satisfactory. The only method would be to run a new line to Douglas. It would probably be cheaper to run a new line than to fit heavier copper to the existing one, as the latter course would mean that the work would have to be done between midnight and 3 a.m.; an expensive proposition from a labour point of view. Such a line from East Road to Douglas would cost £5000 by the time that materials and regulating equipment were bought and fitted. Even if that was done, the district could not carry the financial load of £5000 and it would have to come from the board's general funds. continued Mr. Moss. Such a course would cost the board £400 yearly for interest and sinking fund. On top of that the actual Tututawa reticulation amounting to six miles at a cost of £450 a mile had to be taken into account. Assuming that the work could be done for £3000, 8 per cent. would be required on that amount to cover interest and sinking fund charges. That would mean that £240 (8 per cent. on £3000) would have to be taken from the district's guarantee of £410, leaving £216 to cover the cost of service and the mantenance of a troubleman. Outside those difficulties, costs had gone up tremendously. Copper had now advanced to £112 a ton and four tons would be required. Labour costs, too, were now very high. Controller's Attitude. "And besides," said Mr. Moss, "we can't build a mile of line without the consent of the Electricity Controller. Arrangements were well on the way for the tlruti extension when the war broke out, but the project was suspended by the Controller and the Loans Boai-d." The Loans Board had definitely laid down a policy of not granting loan money for new constructional works, as was demonstrated in the fact that a project to erect "a mile or two of line" in the middle of the board's district was vetoed. This policy was in accordance with ihe desire to conserve sterling funds with the minimisation of importations. Mr. Corry suggested that it might be better policy for material to be imported to save the recurring • importation i of the district's petrol amounting to over 200C gallons annually, but Mr. Moss pointec out the petrol accounted for about onl> £120 being paid out each year. On the other hand, for the district to be supplied with electricity would mean ar importation of £5000 to £6000 worth oi materials. Mr. Moss thanked the deputation foi the interest they had shown in the matter and said he hoped it would be apparent to them that the project was almosl an impossibility under existing conditions. The district could rest assured however, that the reticulation would be kept in view if the existing line tc Douglas was being enlarged at any time in the future. '