D.—l.

BROKEN WIRES AND POLES. There were 1,386 broken wires reported by electric-supply authorities, with 119,432 miles of conductor erected. The corresponding figures for the previous year were 2,006 broken wires and 108,249 miles of conductor in use. Falling trees were again the principal cause of the breaks, and accounted for 29 - 4 per cent, of the total, as against 28 per cent, for 1937. As regards broken poles, 323 instances were reported for the year, of which 111, or 34-4 per cent., were New Zealand blue-gum. For 1937 the total number of broken poles reported was 574, and it is still evident that electricsupply authorities who experimented with'vNow Zealand blue-gum and nondescript Australian hardwoods during the past decade are now being called upon to make replacements sooner than the anticipated life of fifteen years for poles used on distribution lines.

Actual Mileages and Sizes of Overhead Conductors in use at 31st March, 1938.

No returns of conductor mileages received from Auckland, Christchurch, and Heathcote.

107

„ a h.mtninm Galvanized Galvanized rwierweld Steel-cored Bronze. Copper. Aluminium. steel Iron uopperweia. Aluminium. u Size of ; pS Conductors • T~ I <S - W - G ' ) - Miles. ~ Miles. =£* Miles. Miles. Miles. Miles. Miles. 7/20 „ 6,825 329 7/18 .. 13,266 312 sl2 7/17 .. 3,018 26 •• 7/16 .. 24,464 211 44 .. 238 4 103 153 21o 7/15 241 .. .. • • •• • • •• • • •• • • 203 7/14 " 12,558 78 25 .. 22 .. 7 1,067 2 .. 80 7/13 .. 1,277 .. 14 .. 5 .. 2 145 2 .. .. 2 7/12 . . 561 .. 141 3 7 5 .. 19 3 7/11 .. .. 2 7/10 .. 81 .. 216 12 •• 51 7/9 .. 76 .. 2 .. 5 7/8 1 4j 19/18 . . 403 4 4 19/17 . . 625 1 * 19/16 .. 1,774 5 19/15 .. 195 1 \ 19/14 . . 642 1 1 19/13 ..3,194 19/12 .. 589 2 19/10 37/16 .. 56 37/15 .. 403 37/14 .. 95 37/13 .. 23 • • 37/12 .. 80 111 66/13 .. 2 12 .. . . 2,617 61 1 • ■ 86 . . 12 61 10 9 273 157 .. • • 304 .. 222 .. 423 8 .. .. 30 . . 165 8 :: :: 13 497 103 .. .. 4,7 96 is 5,575 22 i,m 1 7 .. .. 764 9 227 .. 92 9 6 .. 289 1 ..US 2 149 .. 167 2 5 K , .. .. .. .. .. .. .... 7 1 .. 593 79 ■ ■ 2 2 . .. 67 0 .. 79 „ c 2/0 .. • • • • 9 5 ■ • ■ • •• • • • ■ .. 59 .. .. •• o 3/0 .. 4 339 3/12 .. 149 .. 17 3/11 4 3/10 .. 25 .. 3 3/9 6 3/8 6 4/16 . . 4/14 253 1 5/14 209 •• ,, •: 7/-167 . . • • • • • • • • • • • • • • •' '" " ' Miscellaneous.. 58 12 1 .. .. 2 .. 12 Telephone-wires 455 .. .. .. 1,164 .. 710 .. 1,203 Totals .. I 489 8 7,124 25 7,083 j 22 3,123 11 2,967 j 9 30 [ .. 1,386 Grand total, 119,432 miles.