TWO REPORTS CONFLICT

Press, Volume LXXIII, Issue 22198, 15 September 1937, Page 8

TWO REPORTS CONFLICT

CHAIRMAN'S CLASH WITH ENGINEER INDEPENDENT ADVICE TO BE SOUGHT POWER BOARD DISCTSSION / AT TIMAKL ITHfc P»iESS Special Service.J TIMARU, September 14. A clash occurred at the meeting of the South Canterbury Electric Power Board to-day between the chairman. Mr G. Dash, and the en» gineer, Mr G. W. Morrison, resulting in the board deciding t» ask an .independent expert fur advice on which was correct —a statement made by the chairman and a technical report submitted by the engineer. Mr Dash said that after three weeks' investigation the engineer was unable to assist the board about the operation of a certain heater. "It is obvious," he continued, "that we cannot look to our engineer for the rate-making we require and this makes it imperative that board members shall apply their busines capacity to what is only, after all, a problem of costing which we are capable of dealing with. The musty bogy that rate-making is an engineering problem only must be buried and forgotten. Mr C. J. Talbot: A very seriow position has arisen. Talk will get as nowhere at all. We have come to a crisis when the chairman can make these statements in cold blood. It b net as if he said them in the heat <rf argument. He sat down, and wrote them, and I am sorry that such language has been used. Referring to line losses, I don't think any engineer would be oblivious to line losses, and the engineer seems to have explained the position. Mr Dash: You have the intelligence to reckon cut the figures for yourselves, and surely ycu can see that everything I have said is proved to you by the figures I have placed before you. Take these comments to any qualified engineer, and if he says that my figures are not correct I wfil resign. "The engineer guided for manr years without making any serious mistakes, and it is not right that the chairman should use the words that be did," said Mr K. Mackenzie. "SometViing has got to be done to Have the matter cleaned up once and for aS. £ thought it had been cleaned m some months ago, but apparently a has not. It is a terrible thing flat this goes on meeting after meeting." It was agreed to call in an indeperaient expert to decide the issue the reports to be' submitted to Mr E. P. Hollands, engineer-manager to the J Hutt Valley Power Board. 1