POWER SUPPLY CONFERENCE

Press, Volume C, Issue 29516, 18 May 1961, Page 6

POWER SUPPLY CONFERENCE

City Council’s Attitude

When the City Council’s representatives go to Rotorua for a general meeting of the New Zealand Electrical Supply Authorities’ Association they will be authorised to give support to the general principles of a report on reorganisation of the industry and to any proposals more acceptable to the larger municipal authorities.

The report had specifically reviewed separation of the industry from direct political control; and the rationalisation of supply authorities in a manner more acceptable to the supply authorities themselves and to the industry than the terms recommended in the Stanton Commission’s report, the electricity committee reported •to the City Council last evening. The recommendations of the association’s sub-committee had met with a mixed recep-

tion by the, supply authorities. On the whole, the smaller authorities, both power board and municipal, seeing some curtailment of their authority or possibly forced amalgamations, had objected strongly. “The proposals provide for two stages of appeal by either party in the event of any proposed amalgamation or merger and a reference to arbitration presided over by a Supreme Court Judge to he r these appeals and assess all claims for compensation," the committee said. The Government seemed to have received the report favourably, hut it was by no means certain that the Government would necessarily implement any recommendation.