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106

Cities (4). Wellington Christchurch Dunedin Nelson. Boroughs (25). Hastings Ohakune Rangiora Tauranga Invercargill Picton Riccarton Te Aroha Kaiapoi Palmerston North Stratford Thames Lyttelton Patea # Sumner Wairoa Motueka Queenstown Timaru Waitara Napier Raetihi Taihape Westport. New Plymouth Town Districts (4). Havelock North Kaponga Mangaweka Te Puke. County Councils (4). Halswell Murchison Uawa Waimairi. Companies (15). J. D. Barry, Tokomaru Kanieri Waimea Blackball Coal Co. J. F. Pettie, Waipiro Westport Coal Co. Blackwater Mines Reefton Wairakei, Ltd. Farmers' Co-operative Co., Tai Tapu Waipiro Trading Co. Tokomaru Union Steamship Co., Port Westland Power, Ltd. Hawera Chalmers It is satisfactory to be able to say that the electric-supply authorities facilitate inspections, and almost without exception give prompt attention to the rectifying of any defects discovered as a result of these inspections. It is intended to arrange for more attention to be directed towards the inspection of wiring installations in public buildings and private residences, and to combine this with the periodic inspection of overhead lines. LICENSES ISSUED. The following water-power and electric-line licenses have been issued during the period from July, 1928, to July, 1929 : Waimea Electric Supply Co. (amendment), Bay of Islands Harbour Board, Uawa County Council (amendment), Hikurangi Town Board (2), Sullivan Bros. (Weheka), Westland Power Board (amendment), Manunui Town Board (2), Waipiro Trading Co. (Waipiro Bay), Golden Terrace Extended Gold-dredging Co., Lyttelton Borough Council (amendment), Ohakune Borough Council (amendment), Raetihi Borough Council (amendment), Westport Coal Co. (Granity). ELECTRICAL APPLIANCES BOARD. Pressure from the electric-supply authorities continues to be brought to bear on the Department for the setting-up of some authority with constitutional powers to prohibit the sale and use of unsafe electrical appliances to the public, but up to the present there is no legislative enactment to permit of this being done. ELECTRICAL FIRES. During the year 21 fires attributed to electrical causes were reported to the Department by electric-supply authorities. It is suspected that a good number of fires reported in the newspapers as originating from the use of electricity are wrongly classified as " electrical," and the various electric-supply authorities' engineers in New Zealand have been communicated with to make every endeavour to see that electricity is not blamed as the destructive agent unless it is definitely known to be the case. In this respect it has been suggested that supply authorities' electrical engineers should co-operate with local superintendents of the fire brigades by supplying the superintendent with E.S.R. 4 Forms, and the particulars furnished could then be verified by the local electrical engineer before signing same. WORK FOR OTHER DEPARTMENTS. This Department during the year has again been called upon to co-operate with other Government Departments —namely, the Mental Hospitals Department, in connection with electrifying the institutions at Seacliff, Porirua, Stoke, Avondale, and Tokanui; Health Department, Hanmer Sanatorium, extension of existing installation ; Tourist Department, in connection with electric supply for the new hostel at Milford Sound ; for the Cook Islands Department, work in connection with new generating plant for Niue Island ; and for the Department of External Affairs an inspection of the liydro-electric installation recently installed at Apia.