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\ _The municipalities served by the ;COmmlssion reached the number of 747 during the year, which includes !27 cities 95 towns, 267 villages and wollce villages, and 345 townships. With the exception of 13 suburban | sections of townships known as voted areas, the townships and 88 of the | smaller villages are served as parts of 172 rural power districts. The report stresses the fact that 1932 was the third and most severe year of depressed conditions, notes an upward trend to recent power de-- ing analysis: "The demand for power in the fiscal year 1932 on the whole was substan-- tially equal to that of 1931, some sys=-- tems showing slight increases, while others small decreases. The average load of all systems in Ontario shows the slight decrease of 1.2 per cent. This compares with the decline of 15 per cent. during 1931." resources. There is not now--as has so often been the case--any prospect of an early power shortage. The re-- serves of power, although ample for present Ontario conditions and for the growths in demand required by a moderately rapid return to normal in-- dustrial activity, are far from exces-- sive, as is evident from comparison with spare capacities maintained by many large electrical supply organiza-- tions elsewhere." 747 Municipalities Served. "The twenty--fifth annual report of the Commission is reassuring," says the Chairman, in his report summary. '"There have been difficult times in the past, and doubtless there may be ups and downs in the future, but the report shows that Ontario's munici-- pally--owned undertaking rests upon a sound foundation, and has substantial reserves of power and ample financial This remarkable achievement of the people's power project is revealed in the annual report of the Ontario Hydro----Electric Commission, pre-- sented to the Legislature yesterday by Commission Chairman Hon. John R. Cooke. Hon. Mr. Cooke told of capi-- tal investments totalling $273,228,754 on Oct. 31, 1932, with total reserves of $66,145,486--an increase of $3,741,000 over 1931. Unequalied Achievement. The report marks the completion of a quarter--century of activities by the Commission, and this chronological fact was stressed by the Chairman in his presentation. He lauded the stat-- istical showing as an achievement equalled by no other utility in the universe, and challengingly held it out to Hydro critics as answer to all the allegations of Hydro mismanagement. In the year 1932, the worst depres-- sion year in all history, the Ontario Hydro--Electric Power Commission added $3,741,074,724 to its reserves, and sold 100,000,000 more kilowatt hours of power than in the year pre-- ceding the depression, 1928. § Hydro Achievement Is Held Unequalled Anywhere in World MARKS COMPLETION OF 25--YEAR SERVICE $3,741,074 Added to Re-- serves in 1932 and 100,-- 000,000 More Kilowatt Hours of Power Sold Than in Pre--Depres-- sion Year, 1928, Cooke Reports ui ltrenda to recent power de-- , and proceeds with the follow-- of his equipment obtains his e: | energy at a lower rate. The drop; | of this extra demand for ene therefore, causes a smaller drop the revenue of the Commission t might be inferred by a study of | actual loads. | _ Constructional activities during 1 | were limited in scope, and capital ( lays by the Commission were coi quently much reduced. The c lwork undertaken was the comple of the Chats Falls development by The report further states: "If a comparison is made between the load during the past year (1932) and the load during the year preceding the start of the depression (1928), it will be found that the total load in On-- tario. on all the Commission's sys-- tems, shows an increase of about 10 per cent." And, although part of this increase over 1928 was due to the in-- clusion of n yet "the load new propertic by more th hours." features, such load has been it has during resting of th total load for the closing months ( 1932 exceeded the load for the corre sponding months of the previou load ard the prove to be : Ontar 1930, tuai 1024 LaKen is i( the Commission is : obligation to supply Many industrial cor needed the full am that their contracts mission call for. In held in reserve for consumers, however, continues under the ceive compensation defraying the fixed costs fc power. Furthermore, as & T« the policy of service '"at cost,' is reflected in the form of t schedules, the consumer periods when he makes grea of his equipment obtains hi The repot A'm 10 ture of during ys the : 4 taken than h an n is under cont supply upon d lal concerns hay ull amounts of ntracts with the JWEever, | er the c ation w Lh notes certain hopeful as the fact that the maintzrined as well as he depression; the ar-- downward trend in eginning of what may upward trend. -- The the load the past whi uies qurmg 1}.. and capital out-- on were conse-- dg. 'The chief the completion Su th (Cy¥ ; that the ac-- than the load er contractual LW OL _ pOwer th the Com-- pect of power ich industrial e CommIl itracts to situati T such sult of which aurin n & )n us ion 110C of USs n n ivy installation of further units, bringing the total capacity up to 192,000 horse-- power--half of which is owned by the 'Commission and half by the Ottawa Valley Power Company in Qucbec. There was also the construction of a transmission line from the Ontario-- Quebec boundary at Beaudet to Chats Falls. The quality of service rende; i throughout the various systems during the year, according to report, was satisfactory; interruptions were foo in number, and affeeted relatively small areas. No serious failures of equip-- ment cccurred. This high quality of service results in part from the prac-- tice of the Commission in maintainir.,; its equipment at a very high standard and also keeping abreast «f the times with respect to improvements in technique demanded by the ever-- increasing magnitude and complexity of its transmission networks and gen-- erating facilities. During the fiscal vear 1931--32 there were construcled, or under construc-- tion, some 526 miles of primary trans-- mission line in the rural power dis-- tricts of Ontario. Although this mile-- age was less than half the mileage constructed each year for the past five or six years, it exceeded that con-- structed during the two--year period 1924 and 1925. Electrical service was given to 3,933 additional rural con-- sumers, and the capital expenditure approved for rural construction work was $1,123,741. There was a healthy growth in the power distributed to ing conlidence : conmunities in power--driven ma "The total capital investment in all power properties, railways, office and service buildings, construction plant and inventories, etc., administered by the Commission amounts to $273,-- 228,454.22 as at Oct. 31, 1932," con-- cludes the report. "This total in-- cludes $5,400,000 bonds of the Com-- mission given in exchange for $6,000,-- 000 par value of Ontario Power Serv-- ice Corporation bonds. This repre-- sents the extent to which the pur-- chase of the Abitibi Canyon property had progressed as at the close of the fiscal year. "The total reserves of the Commis-- sion, including the Niagara, Georgian Bay, Eastern Ontario and Thunder Bay systems, the Northern districts, service buildings and insurance, etc., aggregate $66,145,486.61, which is an increase of $3,741,074.21 over the year 1931, made up as follows: Sinking fund reserves..... $24,639,128.43 Renewals reserves ........ 22,604,698.70 Obsolescence, contingencies _ __ __ __ insurance reserves....... Gueiph Radial reserves... _and stabilization reserves 14,938,399.89 Public liability and staf _ the fiscal year 1931--32 there tructed, or under construc-- 526 miles of primary trans-- ne in the rural power dis-- $66.145,486.61 3,854,019.25 | 109,240.31