POWER BOARD CONTROL.

Press, Volume LXVI, Issue 20083, 12 November 1930, Page 6

POWER BOARD CONTROL.

FINANCE COMMITTEE APPOINTED. SOUTH CANTERBURY AFFAIRS. (SPECI.IL TO Till PKJS33.; HMARU, November 11. Trenchant criticism of the Board's administration and of the methods of the chief executive officer, the engineersecretary (Mr G. W. Morrison), was made at. the monthly meeting of the South Canterbury Power Board this morning by Mr G. Dash (Mayor of Waimatc). The Board decided to appoint a Finance Committee' comprised of the chairman (Mr J. Kennedy) and Messrs W. Angland, G. Dash, C. J. Talbot, and C. E. Kerr, and also to engage an accountant to check the accounts.

The matter was brought up by the Mayor of Timaru (Mr W. Angland), who moved in accordance with notice: "That a Finance Committee should be set up for the purpose of dealing with financial matters connected with the Board's business, and that this consist of seven members." "Although I am a new member of the Board," said Mr Dash, who seconded the motion, "I have delved deeply into its affairs, and I am firmly of the opinion that public bodies are too prone to lean upon a reliable secretary or manager. First, they test him out, and then, if satisfied, they trust him, and then gradually leave" almost everything to him." Mr Dash went on to say that in the early stages the Board had a manager it tested out and approved and trusted. All went well, and one eommittee (the Executive Committee) was all that was found necessary. That manager, unfortunately, had died, and his work had been allotted to an employee already overloaded with work. The habit of trusting a manager had led the Board to expect the impossible, and that had not come about. The Board's financial affairs called loudly for revision and assistance. In fairness, the Board must now create a Finance Committee to oversee and assist in the work done by the late manager, whose business capacity and accountancy ability had not been replaced. Errors in Accounts. Proceeding, Mr Dash said it was a growing belief that the accounts of the Board were getting into what the consumers regarded as a hopeless muddle. In referring to alleged errors in regard to the sale of goods, Mr Dash cited a number of instances which he said were humiliating to the Board. One man had been charged 3s for goods which he said he had not received and which, under a threat of summons, he had paid. Three similar instances of charges made for goods allegedly not obtained were enumerated by Mr Dash, who then proceeded to deal with the reduction of amounts of accounts following complaints of over-charging. One account had been reduced by £3, another by £B, and still another by £9. In one case there had been a reduction of £9 17s, and an apology made to the consumer concerned. On a further occasion an account for £33 had been reduced to £24. "These arc specific instances," added Mr Dash, "and I say definitely that the public is getting the impression that these things are being done) purposely." If a Finance Committee were • appointed, the speaker proceeded, it would be a simple matter to investigate complaints of this nature. Mr A. N. Oakey said that the allegations made by Air Dash should be substantiated to the hilt, or else disproved. He was in favour of a Finance Committee, but thought seven too unwieldy a number. Mr C. J. Talbot said that he had previously been against the setting up of a Finance Committee, as he considered that the Executive could cope, with the work. In the light of what Mr Dash had said, if a committee was necessary to deal with complaints then he was in favour of a Finance Committee. However, he thought that a good many of the complaint:* which Mr Dash had made could be described as little errors for which no doubt some explanation could be made.

"A No-Confidence Vote." Mr Kerr said that he took tho renarks of Mr 'Dash as a vote of no :onfidence in the Board and its mem>ers, and the sonior officers of its staff. ~i appeared that Mr Dash had come to ,hc Board table with a grievance. Mr Dash: That is not so! So far as a Finance Committee was :oncerned, Mr Kerr considered that the Sxecutive Committee was quite capable )f looking after the financial affairs of • ;he Board. Mr G. Saunders said he favoured a Finance Committee so long as it was not too unwieldy. Mr Oakey then moved the following amendment: "That a finance committee 3hould be appointed, this to comprise the chairman and Messrs Angland, Dash, Talbot, and Kerr." This was seconded by, Mr H. J. Mathers. Mr Dash, receiving permission to 3pei»*, said that he' had no bitterness of spirit nor had he any griovance. He was a mc-mber of the Board in the interests of South Canterbury. The facts stood, and the errors were not little errors, but big ones. Mr Kerr: That is a very sweeping statement! Mr W. Hayman: I think Mr Dash has said too much! Mr Kerr: I think so, too! Mr Angland said that he had fciund' that the officers of the Board were all right so far as he was concerned. The amendment was then put to the meeting, and carried. » Mr Morrison's Eeply. '* j Permission was granted Mr Morrison to reply to the criticism levelled against

high cost of them it was decided to take no action. Apologies were received from Messrs A. A. Fleming, and E. C. D. Withell, and the Rev. A. D. Kirkland. The grouads tiub-committee's report was presented on the' proposed building to be erected on the grounds and also a proposed alteration to the horse lines, which were in the nature of it ,nils. The estimate of the cost of the material for the horse lines was given as £6O. ° The estimated cost of the proposed building is about £l5O for a detached building and £l3O for a lean-to on the present building. It was decided to call for alternative tenders for a shellbuilding with floor .and for a. fully completed building with fire-place. It was decided to carry out the proposed improvements to the horse and cattle lines, and that tenders be called for the labour of erection. The report of the women's sulJ-com-inittee was presented. Messrs A. N. Grigg and G.B. Murdoch were appointed collectors for the prize fund. SEAFIELD. There was a good rally of members at the opening of the Seafield Tennis Club's courts. Several sets were played, the courts being in perfect order, after heavy rain the night before. Afternoon tea was served by tho ladies-

him, and in the course of a brief statement he said that when he toolt over the duties of engineer-secretary certain areas nad been getting better allocations than others, and he had done his best to rectify this, and so place the allocations on a more equitable basis. He had obtained the independent report of a well-known consulting engineer on the system on which allocations- were made, and the speaker's methods had been upheld. In regard to the complaints, Mr Morrison said that Waimate was the only area from which these were received, and he desired further to state that no reductions had ever been made because consumers threatened not to pay accounts So far as errors in meter reading; were concerned, Mr Morrison said it was impossible to avoid errors, but I;he percentage of these was exceptionally low. The meter reading was carried out by the maintenance staff, and there was only a live per cent, margin of error. Considering that the Christchuirch City Council, with expert meter readers, had the same percentage ->f error, , the Board's position was more than satisOn the motion of Mr H. J. Mathers, it was decided to secure the -cervices of a loeal accountant to check the allocation accounts.