Feb. 11.] THE NEW ZEALAND GAZETTE. 551

bases, shall be so placed that they cannot by conduction or radiation set fire to any contiguous materials, and shall be of ample size to safely carry the maximum current that will normally flow through them. Each arc-lamp circuit shall be provided with a fuse on each pole. Interior arc lamps shall also be provided with a switch on each circuit.

Maintenance.

35. Every aerial line, including its supports, its conductors, and their insulating covering, and all structural parts and electric 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.

Lightning-arresters.

36. Where any portion of any electric line or 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.

Underground Conductors.

37. Underground conductors shall be thoroughly insulated, and shall be protected from mechanical damage by steel armouring, or by wooden boxing, or earthenware, stoneware, concrete, iron, or fibre conduits or pipes. They shall be laid wherever possible under the footpaths, and with a cover of at least 9 in. from the surface of the pavement. Where laid under any other part of the road such cover shall be increased to 2 ft.

All conduits, pipes, casings, and street boxes used as receptacles for electric lines shall be constructed of durable material, and they 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. Where any underground line crosses or is in proximity to any metallic substance special precaution shall be taken against the possibility of any electrical charging of the metallic substance from the line or from any metallic conduit, pipe, or casing enclosing the line.

Earthing Conduits.

38. All metallic 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.

Street Boxes.

39. The covers of street cable-boxes shall be so secured that they cannot be opened except by means of a special appliance. Street boxes shall be either filled solid with cable compound or oil, or if not so filled shall be inspected from time to time for the presence of gas, and suitable action shall be taken to check its influx and accumulation.

Insulation of Electric Wires.

40. Every main, either overhead or underground, shall be tested for insulation after having been placed in position and before it is used for the purposes of supply, the testing pressure being at least 500 volts, and the Board shall duly record the results of the tests of each main or section of a main and forthwith forward a report thereon to the Public Works Engineer at present stationed at Stratford.

The insulation of every complete circuit used for the supply of energy, including all machinery, apparatus, and devices forming part of or in connection with such circuit, shall be so maintained that the leakage current shall not under any conditions exceed one-thousandth part of the maximum supply current. Every leakage shall be remedied without delay. Every such circuit shall be tested for insulation at least once in every month, and the Board shall duly record the results of the tests and forward a report thereof at the end of each month to the Public Works Engineer at present stationed at Stratford.

Continuity of Supply.

41. From and after the time when the Board commences to supply energy in pursuance of this license it shall maintain continuously, during the period of the day for which it has agreed with any consumer to supply energy, sufficient power for the use of all the consumers for the time being entitled to be supplied; provided also that, for any purposes connected with the efficient working of the undertaking, the Minister may give permission to the Board to discontinue the supply at such intervals of time and for such periods as he may think expedient. When the supply is so discontinued public notice shall be given, when practicable, of such discontinuance and of the probable duration thereof.

B

Supply to Consumers.

42. The owner or occupier of any premises within the area of supply included in the license shall be entitled to a supply of electrical energy on the following conditions:—

(a.) If within 60 ft. of an electric line belonging to the Board service shall be made free of cost.

(b.) If more than 60 ft. distant to any electric line belonging to the Board, the Board shall run the necessary lines for a distance of 60 ft. free of charge, and the consumer shall pay the cost of the service wires for the balance of the distance, such payment not to exceed 1s. per foot of the distance.

(c.) If the plant or mains of the Board are insufficient to supply the applicant with electrical energy the service may, with the consent of the Minister, be postponed for a period not exceeding twelve months; otherwise services shall be made within twenty-eight days of the application.

(d.) Every consumer within any part of the area included in the license shall be entitled to a supply of electrical energy on the same terms on which any other consumer in such part of the area is entitled under similar circumstances to a corresponding supply.

(e.) If the nature of the proposed consumption of energy by any applicant is such as is likely to seriously interfere with the maintenance of the constant pressure on the line in accordance with clause 21, the Board may, with the approval of the Minister, require the consumer to install such apparatus as shall enable the conditions of clause 21 to be complied with.

(f.) The Board may require services to be wired or installed by competent tradesmen, but no preference shall be given to services wired or installed by any individual contractor or firm of contractors.

(g.) The maximum charge for electrical energy shall not exceed 1s. per unit for lighting purposes, and 6d. per unit for motor-power, heating, or cooking purposes, provided that “lighting purposes” shall include the operation of motor generators for lighting purposes, or alternatively 2s. 6d. per calendar month per 25-watt lamp.

(h.) If payment by any consumer is delayed more than thirty days after the date of rendering a correct account, the supply of electricity to such premises may be cut off without notice, and need not be restored until all arrears are paid.

Service Connections.

43. The Board 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.

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

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 fire-proof construction.

All electric wires and apparatus on a consumer’s premises, except such parts as require to be earthed, shall be highly insulated and suitable for the voltage at which the supply is given. They 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.

The maximum working current in any conductor shall not exceed the values permitted under the rules of the Institute of Electrical Engineers of Great Britain.

Installation on Consumer’s Premises.

44. The Board 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 complied with, that the wiring and fittings are suitable for the voltage at which supply is given, that the installation is generally in accordance with the requirements of good practice, and that the connection or continuance of supply would not cause a leakage from those mains 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 being observed in so far as they apply to wires on consumers’ premises, the Board may require that notice must be served upon it of the intention to install wires, fittings, lamps, motors, or other apparatus on any such premises, and may inspect and test the same during any reasonable hours while the installation of such is in progress.

Testing Consumer’s Installation

45. If the Board is reasonably satisfied, after making all proper examination on the completion of the installation, by