POWER BOARD OFFICER

Press, Volume LXXIV, Issue 22376, 13 April 1938, Page 3

POWER BOARD OFFICER

MOTION FOR NEW POST REJECTED

WARM DISCUSSION AT TIMARU

Warm words were exchanged at a meeting of the South Canterbury Electric Power Board yesterday during the discussion of a motion to advertise for a chief executive officer. The board rejected the motion, which was supported by only three members, six voting against it.

In pursuance of notice given, the chairman (Mr G. Dash) moved: "That this board advertise for a successful, qualified, competent engineer-manager, offering such salary as may be considered sufficient to attract the right class of man for a chief executive officer.”

In doing so, Mr Dash said that the policy of the board was to make electricity available to the greatest possible number of people at the lowest possible price, consistent with a balanced budget. If by increased business in any year a profit was made that sum was used to subsidise new lines and to make electricity available to more people. The charges were then cut down to eliminate that profit. Such a profit was made in the year 1936-37. The board then decided to consider its charges, with the object of making a reduction and effecting reorganisation.

Before it had completed its discussion*, hbwever, the end of the first quarter of the year disclosed to the board the astonishing fact that the board was short by £BOO of the profit it had anticipated. In consequence, the board did nothing pending the receipt of the figures for the second quarter, but these again showed a shortage, resulting in no reduction of charges being made. Declaration Required

“Our present chief executive officer told us at the last meeting of the board that it was not his business if the board made a profit or not,** said Mr Dash. “If it is not the business of the board’s chief executive officer then the board must secure an officer who will make it his business, and who will do the work attaching to his position. This board has reached a position where it must make a clean-cut declaration. It must either say that it will make a change or it must say that it is content to sacrifice the interests of the consumers, and render abortive the whole policy of the board.” The motion was seconded pro forma by Mr S. I. Fitch. Before the question was discussed further it was decided that the report of the engineer (Mr G. W. Morrison' should be read. The report said that supply authorities having concentrated areas containing many more cosumers to the mile than the board’s vast and separate areas were able to accumulate profits even alter reducing rates to an extremely low price, and from these profits were able to install elaborate and costly standby plants to take care of extraordinary peaks without interfering with consumers. Other authorities more favourably situated were able to install costly control equipment on water-heating, etc., for limiting the demand to a predetermined maximum.

“I am confident in stating quite definitely that the figures I quoted, which compare very favourably with those of other supply authorities having' no standby plants. are -sufficiently conclusive to show that the buying end of the board’s business is not the factor responsible for the decrease in profits for the year* just ended,” said the report. Mr Pitch complained that the engineer, in bringing down his report, bad not stood by his previous one. which Mr Morrison had claimeu represented his considered opinion. He wondered why the engineer had abandoned many of his previous grounds and brought forward new ones. "Creating a New Foat”

That the proposed advertisement aimed at the creation of a new post was a point • emphasised by Dr. P. R. Woodhouse.

The chairman: Mr Morrison is the chief executive officer, and the motion refers to an engineer-manager, “He was never appointed as an en-gineer-manager,” said Mr A. N. Oakey. "What it really means is that the. engineer’s services are to be dispensed with,” said Mr K. Mackenzie. “Not at all,” said the chairman, adding that there would be other positions on the board open to Mr Morrison. “Mr Morrison has done all he could to bring down the load, but some circumstances over which he had no control prevented him,” said Mr Mackenzie, who went on to state that otiier power boards which had had a similar experience had not suggested that their engineer should suffer in consequence. He objected to the manner in which Mr Morrison’s reputation had been damaged in open discussions of the board. . , , “Trie position will be intolerable for the engineer if the motion is carried, but I am sure it will not be.” remarked Mr Oakey. Mr F. J. Cook expressed the view that circumstances which were uncontrollable had affected the position, but he considered that the engineer should have drawn the attention of the board to the September loading more than he bad done.

Mr B. R. Macdonald thought that the public confidence in the engineer had been shaken through past happenings. Mr C. J. Talbot said that if public confidence in the board had been lost it was due to a large extent to the manner in which its affairs had been conducted. Since the chairman had come on the board there had been trouble with the engineer, and he would say that Mr Morrison had had to work under severe stress for some time. What else could be expected in the circumstances? he asked. He asserted that it was unjust to place the engineer in such a position as was implied in the motion. He considered that the chairman took upon himself a good deal of work that could be better left to the staff. ~ , Defending the engineer, Mr Oakey said that the motion was far too drastic, and that Mr Morrison had been harassed for a long time. It was a terrible position for the engineer to be in to have his chairman watching him. knowing that the slightest slip on his part would be magnified. It might interest the board to know that several influential men in Timaru had come to him to ask how much longer the persecution of the engineer was to continue. , • On being put to the meeting, the motion was lost, only Messrs Fitch, Macdonald, and the chairman voting for it.

PERSONAL NOTES

TIMARU

Because of his difficulty in hearing what was said at meetings, Mr G. Saunders announced at yesterday’s meeting of the South Canterbury Electric Power Board that he would not seek re-election next month. Regret was expressed at Mr Saunders’s decision by the chairman (Mr G. Dash), who paid a tribute to the services Mr Saunders had given to the board. Regret at the forthcoming departure from Timaru of Mr A, S. Aitken. who has accepted a position in Sydney, was expressed by the chairman (Mr J. H. Harley) at a meeting of the management committee of the South Canterbury Rugby Union. Others who referred to Mr Aitken’s services to the game as a delegate from the Old Boys Club on the committee were Messrs A. B. Herdman. C. L. Cutler, and M. J. Angland. Prom the committee. Mr Aitken was presented with a case of pipes. ■