ELECTRIC LIGHT IN BROMLEY.

Press, Volume LII, Issue 15511, 11 February 1916, Page 3

ELECTRIC LIGHT IN BROMLEY.

TO THE EDITOR OK "THE PRESS."

i Sir,—l am glad to see that the Hcathcote County Council lias decided to revert to the promised meter rate of 6d | per unit, but this is nullified by their j adoption of an alternative system o" fixed annual charges for various sized lamps; The chairman of the Council, when laying the "proposal 1 beforo the ■ ratepayers, mentioned this system, bub j stated that the Bromley scheme would • be carried out on a straight-out flat rato I basis, so that, to use his words, "wo ! should know where we were." Tho member for the riding was present and, tacitly at any rate, 1 agreed with this. I still maintain that to keep faith with I the ratepayers, the Council is in honour i bound to carry out tho scheme on tho •'basis, laid down when the poll was taken. " It is all very well for tho ! member for Bromley to say that there [is a special rate of Jd to fall back on j to make up deficiencies," but I suppose .there will be a number of ratepayers 'who will not be using the current. a_nd I consider it grossly unfair, as well as

unnecessary, that these should be taxed by a speeial rate, in order to provide cheap current for the others. Still more unfair is the suggestion, adopted at the last meeting. that residents of another riding (who. of course, would not share in the special rate) should be supplied from the Bromley scheme, presumably at the same prices. The whole conduct of the scheme by the Council is, in my opinion. anything but reassuring to ratepayers, and such incidents as the lack of provision for depreciation, on the ground that it would make the current too dear, point to the desirability of the whole proposal-being referred to a competent electrical engineer. with a view to having it put on a sound business footing. I am in hopes that sufficient interest may be aroused amongst the ratepayers of Bromley to lead them to unite in bringing the necessary pressure en the Council to induce them to take some such course. I note tliat the plans .ire to be submitted to the Public Work* Department, bnt, of course, they will merely deal with the matter from a constructional, and not a business, point of view. Your report of the last Council meeting indicates an extraordinarv state of affairs if a single member, who. 1 presume. will not lay claim to a special knowledge of electrical engineering, is able to apparently over-ride the engineer's estimates, and dictate to the whole Council by snyin< r . "It's my scheme . . . .if von do rot support me, T shall hand in jnv resignation." One is led to wonder which alternative would involve the greater calamity to the unfortunate ratepayers.—Yours, etc.. P. W. FRYER. Bromley February 10th.