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Bill Sandilands (top) and an unknown helper
erecting powerlines in 1949 near Cliff Carter's house which became Robert
Gowers house.Photo courtesy Mrs Sandilands
Reproduced
from the Tokirima Jubilee Supplement
Late in 1940 a public meeting to be held
in the Tokirima hall was called by the Chairman of the King Country Electric
Board, Mr Harold Street. The meeting was attended by Mr. Street, Mr Arthur
Sandilands, board member and Mr. Lloyd Mandeno, consulting engineer to
the board and also architect of the single phase earth return reticulation,
and possibly every householder of the district.
For the board to economically reticulate the Tokirima
district, two requirements in the main were sought by those representing
the board, of those potential consumers who sought to have electricity
reticulated to their properties.
First, duly signed guarantees for 10 years of sufficient
money to pay the annual interest charges and annual capital repayments
on the loan moneys raised to reticulate this district.
And, second, that the farmers of the district agreed to
be formed into working bee group's and, with the aid and guidance of a
technical officer of the board, to virtually do the erection of the poles
& lines etc for a very small remuneration from the board. This would
enable the board to restrict the necessary loan moneys to a minimum and
therefore the required guarantees could also be kept to a minimum.
The meeting agreed to these requirements so the board
agreed to survey the route to be taken by the lines and so arrive at an
approximate capital cost and also send an officer to determine each customers
potential requirements and what each consumer would be prepared to sign
in the way of guarantee. The board asked for a signed guarantee of $22
for lighting points per year and $60 for stove and hot water per year.
Sufficient guaranteed revenue was raised and M Bill Arundel
and Mr Neville Sanders, both officers of the board, called meetings, organized
working bee groups and organized for poles and equipment etc to be put
on the roadside nearest the pegs where they would be required, and so
work commenced.
The first section of the line was livened on 9/5/50 and
the second section to Opatu about a month later. Most home in Tokirima
were switched on on May 11th, 1950 and later the homes of the Opatu end
were switched on on June 7th, 1950.
The total cost of the reticulation of Tokirima and surrounding
district was $26,248.58.
Following
is an extract from Dorothy Blanchard’s book “My Road to Tokirima”
(1995). Published with kind permission from Barbara Blanchard
Towards the end of 1949 the interest in producing electricity
for the King Country came to life again after being on hold since the
beginning of the Second World War. Meetings had to be called and certain
terms had to be accepted.
Mr Harold Street, Chairman of the King Country Electric
Power Board, called the first meeting. Raising the money for the loan
to finance the reticulation of all the country areas, and Ohura, caused
a lot of work. The consumers had to promise to buy sufficient electricity
to cover the cost of reticulation to his property for ten years and it
was paid whether it was used or not. Of course, if you used more, you
paid for it. Each house was to pay $22 for the lights and $60 for the
stove and hot water per year. It was more if you had a milking or shearing
plant. You were allowed one pole on your property and the rest you paid
for. The whole reticulation of Tokirima and surrounding districts was
$26248.58.
The residents divided into groups of six or eight, all
living close together. In charge of each gang in turn, was Willie Waa,
an employee of the King Country Power Board. He had to be found board
in the area. As no one else seemed to be ready to offer, we welcomed him.
The single phase line itself got called Mandeno’s
Clothes Line. Mr Mandeno was the consulting engineer of the King Country
Power Board, and he was the architect of the single phase earth return
reticulation. In the first place the power was bought from the Electricity
Department but before very long the K.C.E.P.B. built its own power house
at Kuratau near the south shore of Lake Taupo and, generally speaking,
we were able to supply all the power we needed, and sold spare power to
the Department and occasionally we had to buy some to see us through.
Willie always said that we would be the first to be ‘turned
on’ because we had looked after him so well and, true to his work,
when the Power Board Inspector, Mr. Charlie Walker, came to put in the
pole fuses he put ours in first, almost at dusk on May 9 1950.
Typed by Lyn Neeson
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