D.—l

92

The proportion of installed plant is now as follows : — Stations. Kilowatts. Proportion per Cent. Water-power .. .. .. ..32 114,132 78-00 Steam-power (excluding hydro stand-by plants at Wellington (10,000), Invercargill (2,450), Waihi (2,500) .. .. .. .. ..3 30,874 21-00 Gas-power .. .. .. .. ..3 208 0-22 Oil-power .. .. .. .. .. ' 3 1,146 0-78 41 146,360 100-00 The number of consumers supplied has increased from 228,345 to 243,795, an increase of 15,450, or 6-8 per cent., for the year. The total population included in the various areas of electric-power supply is 1,414,932, or 94 per cent, of the total population of the Dominion, so that the ideal of a supply being available to every home in the Dominion is well on the way to realization. The maximum demand per head of population in the areas supplied is 0-083 kw., slightly over one-half of the allocation of 0-15 kw., or 0-2 h.p. per head of population, which is the basis of the design of the Government schemes. The units sold per head of population supplied were 320, as compared with 310 last year. The total length of distribution-line is 17,063 route-miles, as compared with 14,975 last year, an increase of 2,088 miles, or 14-8 per cent. The number of consumers per route-mile is 14-3, as compared with 15-2 last year, the decrease being due to the extra mileage of new lines erected during the year to which the full number of services is not yet connected, and to the increased proportion of country lines. The maximum power-demand per route-mile is now 6-9 kw., the sales 26,800 units, and the revenue £198. The units are better than last year (25,700), and there is a slight increase in revenue as against £193 last year, but there is a decrease in the corresponding maximum demand of 7'l kw. last year. The decrease is due to the new territories of the Marlborough and Poverty Bay Power Boards consisting mainly of country reticulation. The revenue per kilowatt of maximum load of all stations was £28-4, as compared with £27-3 last year. The water-power stations show a revenue of £30-52 per kilowatt, steam stations of £22-5 per kilowatt, oil stations of £32-8 per kilowatt, and gas stations of £44-53 per kilowatt. These are valuable figures for use in forecasting the revenue from systems of various descriptions. The water-power systems include the greatest proportion of large consumers, and the gas-engine stations the greatest proportion of small consumers. Out of the ninety-eight distributing authorities, sixty-nine showed a profit for the year amounting to £651,239, and twenty-nine showed a loss amounting to £197,835. The general result is a net profit for the whole Dominion of £453,402 after paying working-costs (£1,660,031) and capital (interest and sinking fund) charges (£1,260,286) at the rate of 5-95 per cent, on the total capital outlay of £21,221,722. This shows a net profit of 2-13 per cent., as compared with 0-66 per cent, last year. The business on the whole is thus a thoroughly sound and remunerative one, as well as supplying a public necessity to 94 per cent, of the population of the Dominion. The following table summarizes the results of the year's operations in connection with electric supply throughout the Dominion : —

Results for Electric-power Supply of New Zealand for the Year ended 31st March, 1928.

Water. Steam. Gas. Oil. Total. Number of stations ...... 32 3 3 3 41 Average capacity (kilowatts) .. .. 3,570 10,291 69 382 3,560 Number of consumers .. .. .. 196,745 42,191 791 4,068 243,790 Installed capacity (kilowatts), (main plant 114,132 30,874 208 1,146 146,360 only) Maximum load (kilowatts) .. .. 88,840 27,373 159 1,073 117,445 Units generated .. .. .. 427,556,602 93,472,628 217,429 2,168,297 523,414,956 Annual load-factor (per cent.) .. ,. I 54 9 39-0] 15-6 I 23-1 50-5 Unitssold .. .. .. .. i 371,162,947 84,276,442; 177,959 1,696,515 457,313,863 Total capital outlay in operation, in- : £18,205,043 £2,757,453 £33,436 £225,790 £21,221,722 eluding distribution systems Total capital per kilowatt installed (includ- , £160 £89 £160 £195 £145 ing distribution system) Total annual working-costs .. .. | £1,339,196 | £292,556 £6,606 £21,673 £1,660,031 Total annual working-costs per unit sold .. 0-868d. 0-83d. 8-9d. 3-05d. 0-88(1. Total annual working-costs per kilowatt , £15-1 £10-7 £41-54 £20 £14-0 (maximum) Total annual capital charges .. .. £1,054,007 £196,613 £1,888 £7,778 £1,260,286 Total annual capital charges per unit sold.. 0-68d. 0-56d. 2-54d. 1-ld. O-66d. Total annual capital charges per kilowatt £1.1-85 £7-2 £11-87 £7-2 £10-6 (maximum) Total annual capital charges as percentage 5-8 7-1 5-65 3-43 5-95 of capital outlay Total annual costs .. .. •• £2,393,203 £489,169 £8,494 £29,451 £2,920,317 Total annual costs per unit sold .. l-548d. l-39d. ll-44d. 4-16d. l-54d. Total annual costs per kilowatt (maximum) £26-95 £17-9 £53-41 £27-2 £24-6 Total annual revenue (not including rates) £2,714,195 £617,128 £7,081 £,'55,315 £3,373,719 Total annual revenue per unit sold .. l-75d. l-76d. 9-54d. 5-0d. 1-77(1. Total annual revenue per kilowatt (maxi- £30-52 £22-5 £44-53 £32-8 £28-4 mum) Net profit .. .. .. .- £320,992 £127,959 * <£5,864 £453,402 Ratio of working-costs to revenue (per cent.) 49-0 47-4 93-5 61-5 49-3 •Deficit, £1,418.