POWER FOR RAGLAN

SWITCHING ON CURRENT - ~ . . CEREMONY IN TOWNSHIP STREET LIGHTING THIS EVENING ■J| [FROM OUR OWN CORRESPONDENT] * RAGLAN, Tuesday An important event in the history 0 f Raglan will take place to-morrow evening, when electric current will be turned on in the township. The reticulation of the Raglan district has engaged the attention of the Central Waikato Electric-Power Board for some years, while the Raglan Town • Board has been active in its efforts to secure power for the town. District committees were set up, and acting in co-operation with the Power Board, they canvassed the settlers. After several attempts, sufficient demand was guaranteed to warrant the board proceeding with its scheme to erect power lines between Whatawhata and Raglan. A loan for £22,000 was authorised, and the work was undertaken early this year. Power lines were erected over the Raglan Hills deviation, and Waitetuna, Te Uku, and Okete were reticulated and connected. The terminal point was the township of Raglan. A street lighting system was installed and the dwellings were wired. ■ The culminating point of the scheme in hand will be the switching-on of the • current by Mr. J. M. Thompson, for many years chairman of the Raglan Town Board, whose initiative and energy have been largely responsible for the completion of the scheme. Mr, Thompson has been ill for some time and a switch has been connected with his bedside to enable him to perform the ceremony.

A gathering of members of the Power Board, the Town Board, and local residents will be held in the town haijf and they will be addressed by E. Peglar, chairman of the Town Board, Sir. T. Hinton, chairman of the' Power Board, and others.. Te Mata and other localities within easy distance of the main line will be connected with % service as soon ati the necessary gual| antees are forthcoming from tbi settlers.