POWER BOARD.

Timaru Herald, Volume XCVIII, 13 May 1925, Page 6

POWER BOARD.

YESTERDAY’S MEETING. A meeting of tlio South Canto rbur.y Power Board mas held in Timaru yesterday. Present —Messrs J* Kennedy (chairman), C. J. Talbot, C. E. Kerr, W. Haynian, J. It. Bruce, S. I. Ihtch, W. Angland, K. McKenzie, V. E. Mills, G. Saunders, and J. C. South. The chairman expressed pleasure that Mr Wallace and Mr Bruce had been re-clectcd to the Board, and ho welcomed Mr Angland as a new member. Messrs Brace and Angland acknowledged the welcome, the latter stating that in whatever criticism he might offer he would refer only to the policy of the Board, and there would ho no personal references so far as he was concerned. (Hear, hear). CHAIRMAN’S STATEMENT. Tho chairman said: —“1 feel suro that it will be in accordance with tho wish of all present, that I should ask the Board to place on record its appreciation of the valuable services rendered to the Board, and to the district generally by Mr John Anstey. Mr Anstev gave a great deal of time to, and brought sound judgment to bear upon, the question of supplying this district with electrical energy, and the members of the Board who have had tho pleasure of working with him realise that in all he did, he had the best interests of tho district at heart; and even those who did not agree with all his opinions will admit that ho held those opinions honestly, and exercised them without fear or favour. “Since last meeting I attended the official opening of tho Southland elcc-tric-power head works, and wish to recu-d mv appreciation of tlio hospitality extended by the Southland people to the visitors. Out of a mass of figures quoted tho following made a strong impression upon my mind : —Tho capital expenditure is £1,650,000, the power developed is 4000 h.p., and over and above a very 'high scale of charges for current tho Board has to collect £BO,OOO per annum, in rates. They aro well entitled to tho congratulations tendered upon their courage and self reliance 1 , hut I hardly think that their examplo is one I could recommend to the South Canterbury district to follow.

“The long-talked-of contract between the Public Works Department and the Christchurch City Council has been completed. Tho immediate effect is that Christchurch city will pay the same rate as all other local bodies up to Ist August, 1926, after which, a sliding scale will come into operation in favour of the city, conditional upon certain quantities of energy being taken. Under the expired contract, Christchurch for a 6000 k.w. load was paying £5.18 per k.w. For 1923 it wiil pav £6.78 and it will not be until 1934, that the rate conditional upon the use of 16,500 k.w., will come down to £5.15. Even with the very low rates over the later years of the contract, Christchurch will pay over the full period of ' the contract considerably more than it would have done had it obtained a renewal on the same terms as tho previous contract. As regards the first year or two we have no cause for complaint, and we have the Minister’s assurance that in all probability the charge for Coleridge current will be reduced to all customers within the next five, years. . “Our debentures are still in fair demand. During the month we have sold £14,900 worth, and tlio treasurer has placed £BOOO oh fixed deposit for three months, to lighten the interest. Work during tho month has progressed satisfactorily and we.are now ready to turn the current on in Geraldine Borough. The poles for Waimate, after a considerable delay, are due here during this week, and "work will bo started on the southern line as soon as possible.”' A motion of appreciation of the services of Mr John Anstey was carried unanimously. Mr Angland, referring to the concluding sentence in the chairman’s refeierco to the Southland Power Board’s hydro-electric scheme, said that this was a slur on the southern Board. It was their business, and they should bo allowed to manage it in their own way, without any comments from South Canterbury. Ho asked the chairman to delete this Sentence from his report. Tho chairman: “No sir; that is my opinion and my report.” The chairman further reported that owing to the funeral of Mr Massey being held on Thursday, the turning on of the electric current at Geraldine had been postponed until next Friday night at half-past seven. In reply to Mr Angland, the secretary said that £37,000 had been paid out to date on account of the Geraldine scleme. EXECUTIVE'S REPORT.

The Executive Committee reported that two further applications had been received for the supply of current in the Levels County, .from Mr Bernard Tripp and Mr E. J. Smith. Mr A. E. Kirk, of Waimate, had again offered to sell the Board his gas suction plant, and the committee recommended that the engineer inspect and report. The Timaru Borough Council had asked for a draft contract covering the supply of current, and the committee recommended that the engineer and manager attend to the matter. Owing to an accident to one of the poles on the main lino the current was off at Temuka all day on Sunday, 3rd inst. Owing to no alarms being fitted the fault was not noticed at the Government sub-station, and the committeo had decided to request the Publio Works Department to fit alarms in order that no delay should' occur in future. The committee x-ccommcndcd that tenders be called for building workmen’s cottages—one at Tcmuka, and one at Waimate. The men on hourly pay had asked to bo paid for holidays. Inquiries had been mad 3 from other Boards with the result that it was found that there is no uniformity of practice either in regard to rate of wages, or holidays. Tficre was only one Board from which they had received particulars that was paying as high a rate of wages as the South Canterbury Power Board. The committee had no recommendation to make in regard to holidays for hourly employees. Tho Clandehove-Milford district had been canvassed. The result was fair, hut not quite up to requirements. The committee recommended that provided a further six milking plants were secured, and the two factories guaranteed between them £125 per annum, authority he given to put the work in hand. The co-operative labour polo gang gave up its contract during the month., and the manager purchased its outfit at a. reasonable price, and put on a day labour gang in its place. Hie committee recommended that the tender of E. M. Tozer, for carting Waimate poles, at 3.s and 3s Gd per pole, ho accepted: that the tender of A. S. Paterson and Co., for the supply of transformers, at £lOl9 17s, and of Carrick Wcddcrspoon, at £l4O 10s he accepted; that a workshop he built at Tcmuka, at a cost of £99, as per W. J. Harding and Co.’s offer; and that the offer of Dash Ltd., to lease a. store at Waimate for one year at £75, be acropled in lieu of building a store at present. The following accounts were recommended for pavmeril :—Geraldine lean. £:t<K:i3 9s 9d; advances account £1(13 (is: WYiinialo loan £570 Is J Id; general £219 19s l(ld. If- was decided fo call alternate tenders, for ft cottage at Tcmuka, in br : ck and wood. The report wao adopted.

HOLIDAY BAY. Tli3 engineer .sa<:d tmit when tho men were not paid for holidays there seemed to bo a certain amount of discontent, bub tho South Canterbury Board paid more for day labour than any oiler Board. Only the Ashburton and Bank’s Peninsula Power Boards paid for holidays, so lar as he was aware, but they did not pay as much lor day labour as tho South Canterbury Board.

Air South thought tho men should bo paid for holidays, if not in whole, then in part, as they had to live in a tent or galley on tho roadside. They were not like men in the towns, who on holidays could employ their time in tlioir garden or elsewhere. Mr Saunders thought the men should only he paid for the time they actually worked. Mr Kerr pointed out that payment for all holidays would cost the Board an additional £224 a year. _ _ Mr Mackenzie expressed tho opinion that the Board should not pay for holidays, in view of the fact that they paid more per day than any other Board.

Mr Angland said it would encourage good men to remain with the Board if they were paid for holidays. Air 'Talbot said he had every sympathy with tho men, hut the Board had public money to deal with, and as tlio Board was paying very good wages, ho could hardly sec that tho employer should bear tlio whole of the loss occasioned by statutory holidays. Mr South moved: “That the Board pay all hourly men, who have been in its employ for a p cno< l of not less than four months, full pay for seven ■holidays m tho - year.” This was seconded by Air Fitch, who said that holiday pay should only be given to those who were practically permanent employees of the Board.

Tli© motion was lost, those voting for it being Alessrs South, Saunders, Angland, and Fitch. Air Talbot then moved that a remit, bo sent to the next conference of Power Boards on this subject, with a view to getting uniformity in tho matter of holiday pay. This was seconded by Air Alackenzie and carried.

Air Fitch said ho thought they should purchase tho plant offered by Air Kirk, in Waimate, and he supported tli© recommendation of the Executive, but said that they could not do anything until they had a report from their engineer. Air South said that stand-by suction gas plants were not satisfactory. He had sold two at Temuka for £25, after having offered them all over New Zealand.

Air Bruce said that Air South did not know what lie was talking about. There was a suction plant in the Silo Mills, and ho would defy anyone to prove that it was other than most satisfactory. ENGINEER’S REPORT.

The Board’s resident engineer reported that the reticulation of Geraldine was practically complete. Approximately twenty miles of cable had been, erected. Owing to the nature of the ground there had been difficulty in keeping some of the poles straight, but with extra stays and surface blocks this could be done. The transformers were all in place and connected up, and it was expected that power would be available in Geraldine on Wednesday night, if necessary. The wire gang had completed the GeraldinoTemuka line and were now. on the Winchester-Orari line. They had erected 37 miles of wire. The pole gang caused trouble at the beginning of the month through refusing to reram and straighten up some of the Temuka-Geraldino line poles, and disbanded. A new gang had got into swung now, and were getting along, all right on the Woodbury line. They had erected 157 poles. A pole on the Temuka line was hit by a motorist about midnight on 2nd May, which caused a breakdown of the current, and through the Board’s man not investigating, and the Grant’s hill _ attendants not noticing that the switch was off, Temuka was without current until Monday morning. The Temuka police were endeavouring to trace the motorist. LIGHT W T ANTED. _ Mr Bernard Tripp, Glen-iti, wrote asking that another poll be taken, ~ n „ the question of a loan for elo power for ratepayers of Levels County. Ho felt sure that if it were taken the poll would be canned. Mr F. J. Smith, who lives just beyond the Borough boundary, also applied for the light. Mr Kerr said there was no doubt but that if a poll were taken in Levels County' it would he lost, and members of the Levels County Council considered it would be unwise to take it. Those wdio were applying for the light in Levels County could possibly make arrangements to get a supply from Timafu Borough. Mr South thought it would he dangerous to give power' to those people, much as ho w'ould like to see them get it. Those parts of the district which had carried the loan would bo rated if there wms any deficiency in the revenue, hut there would bo no power to rate people _in Levels County for any loss that might bo incurred there, if they were supplied with current in the manner now asked. Tn Southland, farmers on holdings as small as 400 acres were taxed as high as £25 and £3O a year whether thriy used the light or not. Tn Geraldine, if the scheme did not pay', the people would bo rated to make up the deficiency, but the Board had no power to charge one penny to people outside the districts which were reticulated.

Mr Anal a nr! said there was nothing to prevent the Board making an arrangement with the Borough Council to supply those residents of Levels County who lived near the Borough boundary with light, and he moved: “That the chairman, secretary and engineer of the Board should confer with the Borough Council in order to arrive at some arrangement by which light would be so supplied.

Mr Kerr seconded the motion. M;* Mackenzie said ho did not see how the Timaru Borough Council could use their money for tho purpose of supplying light outside their area. Their hands were tied in the matter, as they could not use money which was authorised for expenditure in a certain district, for the purpose of reticulating Levels County. Mr Bruce said they were there to sell power, and they should sell as much as ever they could. He favoured tho motion, on the assutrption that those who were asking for light would he prepared to pay extra for it, if it became necessary to make up any defieicncv.

The motion ■was lost by 6 votes to 5.

Mr Talbot said that there was one method by which residents of Levels County could obtain power and light, namely, by petitioning the Board, a.nd voting for a loan to reticulate the district. He moved that the applicants he advised to ibis effect. This was seconded by Mr South, and carried bv 7 to 4. GENERAL. A letter was received from Mr O. G. Andrews (Ashburton) claiming TSS ISs 2d damages suffered bv Kim through bis car" having collided with an electric light nnle which had been left on tlie roadside near tho Temnka pound. 'the Board iH-idod to contest tho claim, and on the motion of Mr "Mills it was decided to give' the contractor notice of the eb'im, lie being respoilsihlo to the. Board. Mr Filch was npncuitcd a member of the ire ill place of Mr Avrstey. Mr v.- . iirnnesc.il, bv '•> vide of 7 io i Mr Eileli was clio.-.on.