ELECTRICITY IN N.S.W.

Press, Volume C, Issue 29623, 20 September 1961, Page 10

ELECTRICITY IN N.S.W.

Amalgamation Powers “The Electricity Authority in New South Wales is empowered to initiate amalgamation proceedings of local distribution authorities,” said Mr G. A. Ammundsen in an address to the annual conference of the Secretaries’ Association of the Electrical Supply Authorities’ Association of New Zealand yesterday.

Mr Ammundsen, who is secretary of the WanganuiRangitikei Electric Power Board, recently attended the conference of electrical supply authorities in New South Wales. Mr Ammundsen said that in New South Wales there was a general conviction that the pattern had been set for fewer and larger authorities culminating in what could be virtually one national distributing authority. Finance seemed to be the biggest single problem with which Australian authorities had to contend, Said Mr Ammundsen. “On the one hand it is alleged that money available to local bodies under the allocations of the Federal Loans Council is always inadequate; and then when allocations are announced the controlled interest rate makes local body investment unattractive in a very competitive market,” he said. Examples of interest rates were:—Sydney County Council, from five to 20 years at 5? per cent.; Australian Gas Light Company, from five years at 61 per cent, to 20 years at 6 7/8 per cent,; established, and reputable investment organisations, from 8 per cent, for 12 months up to 9 per cent, for five years or more.

Mr Ammundsen said that at the conference there was a general awareness of the need to promote the use of electricity. The use of electricity for cooking was one field in which a great deal of promotion was being carried out This was necessary because gas was a serious competition. ‘‘Electricity being produced from coal-fired steam stations has hot the price advantage over gas that we have in New Zealand with hydro-power. Gas interests provide militant competition, and one firm will provide interest-free loans to home builders who install gas,” he said.