Lobbying for cut-price power ‘not for boards'

Press, 13 August 1980, Page 7

Lobbying for cut-price power ‘not for boards'

Lobbying for electricity price concessions for the South Island is not the job of individual power authorities, the chairman of the Central Canterbury Electric Power Board (Mr L. P. Manion) has said. He told a meeting of the board that the issue was political and supply authorities should not become involved. The board should not be used for someone to get their name in the newspaper or to get into politics. Mr L. F. Chamberlain moved that the subsidy scheme for South Island industry be scrapped and replaced with an across-the-board concession. He wanted the motion to be sent as a remit to the Electrical Supply

Authorities Association f? annual meeting. The motion, was not seconded. Mr Chamberlain said that the concession should be made in the tariff from the Electricity Division to the supply authorities. He criticised the subsidy because “some get it and some don’t.”

Rather than "playing around with individual industries” the concession should be given to power authorities to pass on to the consumers.

Cheap power was pro-' duced in the South Island and “no way will we see gas like they do in the North Island,” he said.- _. Mr, Manion said that it was against the board’s policy to lobby individn

ually for lower electricity prices. He could not see what Mr Chamberlain wanted , to gain by sending the motion other than seeking publicity. He also accused Mr Chamberlain of trying to disrupt the process of the board. . . Mr Chamberlain denied that he was seeking publicity or trying to disrupt the process of the board.