ELECTRICITY BIll PASSED

Press, Volume LXXXI, Issue 24740, 4 December 1945, Page 4

ELECTRICITY 811 l PASSED

——♦ ' . x Separate Department Created RETICULATION OF RURAL' AREAS (From Our Parliamentary WELLINGTON, December 3. " Given support by the Opposition, the' Electricity Bill, which makes’ provi-' sion for a separate Electricity Depart- 1 - ment, to replace the present branch oL the Public Works Department, and for?’ a guarantee fund to assist in there- ” ticulation of country areas, was passed by the House of Representatives this evening. ■ . 'The Minister of Works (the"Hon. R. .Semple), moving the. second reading., of the bill, said the growth of electri-; cal reticulation in recent :yearssiad rendered necessary the establishment-' of a separate Electricity Departinent With .the diminution of bituminous coal : supplies, New Zealand was lip against power supply, but with the development of the Waikato scheme, y)bich. had been carried on during the. warri years under tremendous difficulties;;.’ and which would’ bfe >in operatic .in--1947, if the machinery arrivedffron; : the United Kingdom, the Dothinion would have more -power a head ot population than any other country.! Ninety-three per cent, of farmers - , m the Dominion already were supplied; with electricity, compared with 20 perl cent, in Canada-, .' I f The purpose of the bill was to sup-; ply sparsely populated areas with electricity, and finance wsuM be provided; by a levy of ' one-quarter of 1 per cent, of the gross revepue of supply authorities, which was estimated id' produce £23.000. A council would be set up to investigate the claims of applicants. and decide what subsidies would be paid. It was hoped to reticulate 1500 miles in the next two or; three years, and it was estimated that' a total of 1800. miles was required to be reticulated at ; a cost of £730.000,; The Minister said he was satisfied this, scheme would meet the needs of the' country for the next four years, and; there would be very few people with 1 -'; out power in that; time. -.-v . .Control of Manufacture . There was also power in the bill to; prevent the Ajahufacture of shoddy electrical material in the country. Mr Semple said the new Electrics: Department would contribute £6sw : in the first year of the guarantee fund; the Auckland Power Board £2500, the Wellington City Council £IBOO, the Christchurch City Council £IOOO, afad. so on down the scale: ' Mr T. H. McCombs (Government Lyttelton) suggested a revision ol power board districts, with a view to making areas more economic, mentioning the. difficulties of the Banks Peninsula Power Board. He agreed that urban areas should assist, sparsely populated areas. I. Mr W. A. Sheat (Opposition. Patea) endorsed the bill and said that the fund ,to be cieated meant that one. penny out of every 400 paid by present consumers would be used for the purpose of carrying power to the rest of New Zealand,- It was a very small contribution for such important work. The bill -would be welcomed by power supply authorities throughout the country, many of whom nan been asking previously for some such scheme. Mr Vf. S. Goosman ( Opposition. Waikato) supported the bill and said, it was a good thing to have one department control the supply of power. It was desirable to have peonle in the backblocks helped by people in the cities. He looked forward to the day when every house in the country would have electricity. . Mr W. Sullivan (Opnosition. Bay Pt Plenty) commended the Minister for doing a good job. It was right ana nioper to set up a department to handle electricity supply. The bill was put through the remaining stages and passed.