Mar. 13.] THE NEW ZEALAND GAZETTE. 817

wind-pressure at 30 lb. per square foot on plane surfaces and 18 lb. per square foot of diametrical plane for cylindrical surfaces, shall be at least 4 if those supports are of iron, steel, or ferro-concrete, and at least 6 if the supports are of wood. The stress in the aerial conductors shall not exceed 28,000 lb. per square inch for copper and 15,000 lb. per square inch for aluminium in the extreme case of a temperature of 12° F., and a wind-pressure of 18 lb. per square foot of diametrical plane occurring simultaneously.

23. Earth wires, where led down poles, shall be protected by casing for a distance of 8 ft. from the ground.

24. All aerial wires shall be attached to suitable insulators carried on cross-arms of suitable material and cross-section, and they shall be so attached to the insulators or guarded that they cannot fall away from the support. Conductors covered with insulating material shall be so attached that their insulation will not be impaired where they are secured to the insulator.

25. Any aerial wire shall not in any part thereof be at a less height from the ground than 18 ft., or within 5 ft. measured horizontally or 7 ft. measured vertically from any part of any building or erection other than a support for the line, except where brought into a building for the purpose of supply. No work of any nature shall be erected or constructed upon, over, or under any part of the Government railway until the said Council has obtained the consent of the Minister of Government Railways thereto, as required by section 4 of the Government Railways Amendment Act, 1910 (No. 2).

26. Service lines from aerial lines shall be led as directly as possible to insulators firmly attached to some portion of the consumer’s premises which is not accessible to any person without the use of a ladder or other special appliance. Every portion of any service line which is outside a building and is within 7 ft. from any part of the building shall be rubber-insulated.

27. Where an aerial line crosses a street, the angle between the line and the direction of the street at the place of crossing shall be not less than 60 degrees, and the spans shall be as short as possible.

28. Where an aerial line crosses or is in proximity to any metallic substance, precautions shall be taken against the possibility of the line coming into contact with the metallic substance by breakage or otherwise.

29. Efficient guard-wires shall be erected in a manner to meet with the approval of the Minister of Telegraphs at all such crossings and places where electric-light wires intersect telegraph or telephone wires, as may be required by the said Minister to be so protected. The said Council shall bear the expense of such guard-wires in all cases where an electric-light wire intersects a telegraph or other wire previously existing.

30. Every aerial line, including its supports, its conductors, and their insulating covering, and all the structural parts and electrical appliances and devices belonging to or connected with the line, shall be duly and efficiently supervised and maintained as regards both electrical and mechanical conditions.

31. An aerial line shall not be permitted to remain erected after it has ceased to be used for the supply of energy unless the said Council intends within a reasonable time again to take it into use for that purpose.

32. All underground electric cables shall be laid as far as possible under the pavements and near the kerb-line.

33. All conduits, pipes, casings, and street boxes used as receptacles for electric lines shall be constructed of durable material, and shall be of ample strength to prevent damage from heavy traffic, and reasonable means shall be taken to prevent the accumulation of gas in such receptacles.

34. All underground cables shall be thoroughly insulated, and carefully laid and jointed, and protected by permanent material in such a way that it shall be impossible for the conductor or its sheath to come into contact with any external metallic or other substance, or for a pick or other tool to come accidentally into contact with the conductor or its sheath.

35. All underground metal conduits, pipes, or casings containing an electric line shall be efficiently earthed, and shall be so jointed and connected across all street-boxes and other openings as to make good electrical contact throughout their whole length.

36. The covers of street-boxes shall be so secured that they cannot be opened except by means of a special appliance. Street-boxes shall be inspected from time to time for the presence of gas, and suitable action shall be taken to check its influx and accumulation.

37. The said Council shall be responsible for all electric lines or wires, fittings, and apparatus belonging to it, or under its control, which may be upon a consumer’s premises, being maintained in a safe condition and in all respects fit for supplying energy.

38. In delivering the energy to a consumer’s terminals the said Council shall exercise all due precautions, so as to avoid risk of causing fire on the premises.

39. Where any portion of any electric line or any support for an electric line is exposed in such a position as to be liable to injury from lightning, it shall be efficiently protected against such liability.

40. A suitable safety fuse or other automatic circuit-breaker shall be inserted in each service line within a consumer’s premises as close as possible to the point of entry, and contained within a suitable locked or sealed receptacle of fireproof construction.

41. All electric wires placed on a consumer’s premises shall be highly insulated, and shall be thoroughly protected against injury to the insulation or access of moisture. All electric wires shall be so fixed and protected as to prevent the possibility of electrical discharge to any adjacent metallic substance.

42. The said Council shall not connect the wires and fittings on a consumer’s premises with its mains, or, in the case of premises already connected, continue the supply from its mains, unless it is reasonably satisfied that the requirements of this license are in so far as it affects those premises are complied with, that the wiring and fittings are suitable for the voltage at which supply is being given, that the installation generally is in accordance with the requirements of good practice, and that the connection or continuance of supply would not cause a leakage from those wires and fittings exceeding one ten-thousandth part of the maximum supply current to the premises.

For the purpose of satisfying itself that the requirements of this license are observed, the said Council may require that notice be served upon it of the intention to install wires, fittings, lamps, motors, or other apparatus on any premises, and may inspect the same during any reasonable hours while the installation of the same is in progress.

43. If the said Council is reasonably satisfied, after making all proper examination by testing or otherwise, that the wiring and fittings are not suitable for the voltage being employed, that a leakage exists at some part of a circuit of such extent as to be a source of danger, and that such leakage does not exist at any part of the circuit under the control of the said Council, or that any other requirements of this license are not complied with, then and in such any case any officer of the Council, duly authorized by it in writing, may, for the purpose of discovering whether the leakage exists at any part of a circuit within or upon any consumer’s premises, or whether the wiring is suitable and the general requirements of the license are complied with, by notice require the consumer, at some reasonable time after the service of the notice, to permit him to inspect and to test the wires and fittings belonging to the consumer and forming part of the circuit.

If on such testing and inspection the officer discovers a leakage from the consumer’s wires exceeding one ten-thousandth part of the maximum supply current to the premises, or that the requirements of this license are not properly conformed to, or if the consumer does not give all due facilities for inspection and testing, the said Council shall either not commence the supply or shall forthwith discontinue the supply of energy to the premises in question, giving immediate notice to the consumer of its reasons for not commencing or for discontinuing the supply, and in either case supply shall not be given until the Council is reasonably satisfied that the installation is in conformity with the requirements of this license.

44. If any consumer is dissatisfied with the action of the Council in refusing to give, or in discontinuing, or in not recommencing the supply of energy to his premises, the wires and fittings of that consumer may, on his application to the Minister, and on payment of the cost, be inspected and be tested for the existence of leakage by an Inspecting Engineer.

This provision shall be indorsed on every notice given under the provisions of either of the two last preceding clauses.

45. The Council shall, upon receipt of an application from the occupier of any premises within 60 ft. of any of the Council’s public-supply electric lines, furnish such premises with electrical energy upon the same terms and conditions as those on which any other consumer is entitled under similar circumstances to a corresponding supply, provided that the plant is of sufficient power to supply the electrical energy required by such occupier as well as the requirements of other consumers.

46. The Council shall, prior to the completion of the said works, give to the Minister at least one month’s notice in writing of the estimated date of such completion.

47. The Council shall not use the said electric lines or permit the same to be used, for any purpose until the Minister has given notice in writing to the said Council that he has received from the Inspecting Engineer a certificate that they have been satisfactorily carried out.