New gas users ‘penalised’

Press, 25 August 1980, Page 5

New gas users ‘penalised’

Christchurch gas users who are new residents may have difficulty getting assistance rnder the Government’s compensation plan. The Government, in offering compensation, has set the condition that the householder must have consumed more than two gigajoules (4200 of the Christchurch gas units) over the 12 months before the announcement of the closing of the local works. According to the secretary of the Gas Council (Mr F.J. Heatley) the provision was made to prevent people who used gas minimally, if at all, from taking advantage of the scheme. Now a new case of hardship has emerged — where people rely totally on gas, but have not lived in a house long enough to have used the prerequisite amount of the fuel.

In a letter to “The Press,” Mr A.G. Whitcombe, of St Albans, explained how he did not qualify for assistance. He bought his house in February, it having been empty for at least six months. His gas use over the period (May, 1979, to May, 1980) was therefore well short of the required figure. “I have the same conversion expenses as other users and yet I am now expected to hear the cost myself,” he said. “What justice is there in this”

Mr Heatley said yesterday that the Government’s compensation involved the paying of a grant to the gas authority, in this case the Christchurch Gas Company, which then paid out in line with a set scale. For the Gas Council, the question was “just a matter of the distribution of Government funds.” “But because a person does not . qualify for the Government’s compensation, there is no reason why the Gas Company cannot pay if it wants to,” he said. The company was already making additional payments over and above the approved scale. It had the power to grant the extra assistance. The general manager of the Christchurch Gas Company (Mr C. W. Kennedy)’ has said th-1, in regard to the Government’s compensation scheme, his company had to adhere to the conditions laid out. Qualifying conditions had been set; the company was subject to audit and had to comply with those conditions.

“Because of the extenuating circumstances in this case I would suggest that the correspondent write direct to the Gas Council setting out details of the problem and ask for dispensation,” Beyond that, Mr Kennedy said, he had no statement to make.