Power Boundary Commission

Press, Volume CVIII, Issue 31680, 16 May 1968, Page 1

Power Boundary Commission

“The Press” Special Service WELLINGTON, May 15. The Minister of Electricity (Mr Shand) announced today that the members of the Electricity Distribution Commission will be Mr W. S. McLean, of Wellington (chairman), Sir John Meech, of Wellington, Mr C. M. Gray, of Auckland, Mr F. Rhodes, of Christchurch, and Mr C. W. *G. Bearman, of Wellington. The commission had been appointed under legislation passed by Parliament in 1967, said Mr Shand. The commission would be charged with judging all proposals for amending the boundaries of electricity distribution authorities, of which there are 74 in New Zealand. “In essence, the commission will perform for the electricity distributing industry, the function which the Local Gov-

emment Commission performs for territorial local authorities,” he said.

The electricity distributing authorities fell into two general groups. The larger group comprised the power boards, which were ad hoc authorities whose sole responsibility was the reticulation of electricity. The other group comprised territorial local authorities—cities, boroughs and three counties which distributed electricity in addition to their other functions. Changes In the general boundaries of territorial local authorities had been made from time to time, but there was no provision at law for changing the boundaries of the areas in which they distributed electricity, except by agreement with the neighbouring electricity authorities. This had been a constant source of friction between power boards and territorial authorities, said the Minister. It was also generally conceded that there were too many electricity distribution authorities, a number of them too small to achieve standards of efficiency possible for larger authorities. This was particularly true in the use of modem equipment

“The question of providing some such authority has been discussed for many years and has been the subject of, at least, one Royal commission and two parliamentary committees. The Act of last year gives the commission a very wide authority to make adjustments which, after hearing arguments of the parties, it considers reasonable,” Mr Shand said. “Before the legislation was

introduced a very wide measure of agreement had been reached within the industry; in fact there were only two points of any substance upon which there was not almost unanimity among the distributing authorities. “One point in the final bill was objected to by the power boards and one by the territorial authorities, but, having recorded their objections, both parties agreed to the Act being passed in its present form,” he said. The president of the Electric Power Boards of New Zealand (Mr R. M. White) said it was hoped that the establishment of the commission would solve the many problems affecting New Zealand's electricity distribution industry over the years. “The electric power boards have consistently supported the setting up of a commission, and I can assure the commission of the co-opera-tion of boards in the carrying out of its functions.”

Mr Rhodes is a public accountant in Christchurch. He was a member of the threeman commission headed by Sir Joseph Stanton which inquired into electricity distribution some few years ago.