CHEAPER ELECTRICITY

Press, Volume LXXI, Issue 21578, 14 September 1935, Page 22

CHEAPER ELECTRICITY

TO TBS ODITOB 07 THS MBBS. Sir,—l was interested in the letter from your Ashburton correspondent on cheaper electricity. I am not a consumer of electricity in the Ashburton county, although while in that district some years ago I was a guarantor when the power came through. His question was, how to obtain cheaper electricity to be able to use it for all services that electricity offers. From what I can gather there are 34 power boards in New Zealand, the power being supplied to these boards by the Government at the rate of the quantity each board uses; that is, the bigger the consumption the power board has, the less the cost. The act passed in 1918 gave power boards the right to control the special areas where power boards were formed.

I would ask what business to-day is successful working on the lines of 1918. The businesses that stuck to the methods employed in. 1918 are out of business to-day, yet the Government claims that the act is working quite well. Fancy the overhead costs of 34 power boards, which actually should be under one head on ah efficiency basis, which should give electricity to every person in the Soiith Island. There are still isolated districts in Canterbury wanting electricity, but they simply cannot have it because of the heavy cost. And there is still water running over the spillway producing nothing. Personally, I think it time this obsolete act of 1918 was put out of existence and efficient methods adopted to put electricity within the reach- of everyone.' The amount of consumption would then show handsome profits and bring' down the overhead expenses, especially of farmers, who could use electricity in many different ways. Christchurch, I understand, has the cheapest electricity in the world. The department makes its profits by encouraging consumption. Why cannot the Government take a leaf out of the City Council'sbook, and put the distribution under one department, and give cheap electricity. Then, no doubt the consumption would look after itself, with handsome- profits showing. In our district we are anxious for electricity but the charges are simply frightening people who are halfhearted about adopting the scheme, simply because of the heavy cost that it is likely to involve. We have noticed at various times in "The Press" that the number of power boards with their heavy expenses cannot but make power expensive. I had not seen your article in "The Press" on the matter, but I certainly think great improvements in the method of distribution could be accomplished.—Yours, etc., CHEAP ELECTRICITY FOR ALL. September 12, 1935.