53

D.—l

Ij( k ai. Electric-power-supply Systems. Outside the Power Boards the existing local supply authorities are showing great activity, but owing to the war disturbances they have not yet been able to make up the arrears in the normal expansion of their installations. In the seven principal cities and boroughs proposals are under consideration involving the installation of new plant to a capacity of 33,500 kilowatts at an estimated cost of £1,582,000, as follows :-

In each case provision is being made that the proposed plant shall work in with the main Government hydro-electric-power-supply system. During the year one additional steam-power plant has been put into service. (Waiuku Town Board), and four additional local authorities have undertaken the reticulation of energy purchased in bulk from the Government viz.. Eyre County Council, Halswell County Council, Rangiora County Council, and Rangiora Borough Council. The total number of local supply authorities in the Dominion is now seventy-one, details of which are. given in the tables herewith. The demand for increased power-supply has been very insistent owing to the increasing cost of fuel and labour, but the difficulty in obtaining plant has delayed the extensions required. The only station that has succeeded in increasing its capacity substantially during the year is the Auckland City Council, for which orders were placed in 1914. At the end of the financial year the capacities of the supply stations, analysed according to the sources of power, wore as follow : — Nun.tier. £apaoity. Proportion Kilowatts. per Cent. Water-power .. .. .. ..26 23.998 52-4 Steam .. .. .. .. ..9 16,122 35-2 Gas-engines .. .. .. ..17 3,209 7-0 Oil-engines .. .. .. ..3 2,476 5-4 Bulk supply .. .. .. .. 16 (No generating plant.) Totals .. .. ..71 45,805 100-0 The sum of the maxima outputs of the whole fifty-five power plants for the year was only 30,736 kw. out of the total capacity of 45,805 kw., leaving a margin of 15,069 kw., or 33 per cent., as standby plant—a margin which can be very much reduced when the whole of the stations are interconnected, so that each will serve as standby for its neighbours. With regard to the authorities operating the various installations, they are as follows :— Number Capacity. Proport Kilowatts. per Cent. Government Departments .. .. ..3 15,000 32-7 City Councils .. .. .. ..1 18,300 40-0 Borough Councils .. .. .. ..39 7,905 ]7-2 Town Boards .. .. .. ..10 529 1-2 County Councils . . .. .. . . 5 (Bulk) Electric-supply companies .. .. ..9 2,071 4-5 Industrial companies . . .. .. ..1 2,000 4-4 Totals .. .. .. ..71 45,805 100-0 The increase during the year in the proportion operated by the Government from 19-8 to 32-7 per cent, is due to the purchase of the Horahora power plant. The total number of consumers at the end of the year was 58,449, as compared, with 54,926 last year, an increase of 3,523 consumers, or 6-4 per cent. These are distributed as follows :— Number of ~ Consumers. Proportion. 3 Government Departments .. .. .. .. 1,228 2-1 4 City Councils .. .. .. .. ..30,452 52-3 39 Borough Councils .. .. .. ..19,511 33-4 10 Town Boards .. .. .. .. ..1,412 2-4 5 County Councils .. .. .. .. .. ],990 3-3 10 Electric-supply companies .. .. .. .. 3,856 6-5 71 Totals .. .. .. .. .. 58,449 100-0

Authority. Power. Present Power. Proposed Addition. Estimated Cost. Auckland City Wellington City Dunedin City Wangaimi Borough Palmerstoa North Borough New Plymouth Borough Invercargill Borough .. Steam Water Steam Gas .. Water Steam Kw. .13,000 7,500 6,000 375 Nil 850 975 Kw. 13,000 6,000 6,000 1,500 1.000 5,000 1,000 £ 500,000 386,000 200,000 84,000 J 27,000 235.000 50,000 Total I , 582, (J00