HUTT VALLEY NEWS

Dominion, Volume 29, Issue 102, 24 January 1936, Page 6

HUTT VALLEY NEWS

Because of the death of his Majesty King George V, only urgent business was dealt with at the meeting of the Eastbourne Borough Council last night.

Some 400 persons made the excursion trip of the harbour on the Muritai yesterday afternoon. This is the third excursion the Eastbourne Borough Council has rua during the holidays, and all of them have proved successful. PRICE OF POWER Possibility of Reduction The announcement that he would bring down a report in March on the possibility of reducing the price of electricity for consumers was made by the engineer and general'manager of the Hutt Valley Electric Power Board, Mr. E. F. Hollands, yesterday The question was raised by Mr. J. W. Andrews, who said that in view of the buoyancy of the finances he would like to know if Mr. Hollands could bring bring down a report to see if it would be possible to make some drastic reductions in the price of electricity. For the past nine months the board had a surplus of nearly £BOOO, and there were no heavy items of expenditure for the next three months. Mr. Andrews said he did not know what current should be reduced, but he thought the lighting people were due for some consideration. Mr. Hollands said he had been investigating the position for some time, but March would be the earliest he could bring down a report. While he could make recommendations for certain reduction*, to make equitable reductions to suit all consumers was one of the most difficult problems one could tackle. SUGGESTION TO BOARD Wireless and Electricity A letter from a woman resident of Upper Hutt suggesting a novel way of improving the business of the Hutt Valley Electric Power Board was received at a' meeting of the board yesterday. The letter stated: — “I hope you will not think me impertinent, but 1 have a suggestion to put to the board which I think will benefit the board and also the public considerably. In most homes the wireless is turned off for hours at a time simply because the programmes are not very good. There is too much mediocre music and not enough humour ; consequently the wireless is shut off and not much electricity is being used. Now. my suggestion is this: Would it not pay the power board to spend, say, £lOO on some decent records, say Madame Melba, Paul Robeson, and far more humorous sketches than we have at present. The return in the consumption of electricity would more than justify the expense, I think.” When the letter was read, the chairman, Mr. R. W. Bothamley, said the writer apparently did not know the amount of power consumed by the average wireless set. “It is almost negligible,” he Said. SALES OF BOWER Comparative Figures Of Hutt Valley Board Comparisons or power sales from April 1 to December 31, 1334 and 1935 respectively, were laid before the meeting of the Hutt Valley Electric Power Board yesterday by the engineer and general manager, Mr. E. F. Hollands. In the following comparisons the 1935 figures are shown first:— Domestic lighting, £27,993/11/6, £27,539/2/5, an increase of £454/0/1; commercial lighting, £9154/16/4, £8215 13/1, an increase of £939/3/3; heating and cooking, £23.668/10/1, £19,400/4/5, an increase of £4268/5/8; water heating, £7891/6/10, £7277/4/11, an increase of £614/1/11; power, £17,901/6/1. £15,713 11/6, an increase of £2187/14/7-: public lighting, £3719/18/5, £3654/10/7, an increase of £65/7/10; discounts, £12,362 12/9, £10,571/5/1, an increase of £1791 7/8; totals, £77.966/16/6. £71,229/1/10, an increase of £6737/14/8. BETTER FACILITIES Fire-fighting at Koro Koro The need for an improvement in the fire brigade facilities so far as Koro Koro was concerned was mentioned by .Mr. J. Huggau at the meeting of the Petone Fire Board yesterday. At the present time, he said, if anybody from Koro Koro wanted to communicate with the brigade at Petone, it was necessary, to go to his store and put through a toll call. It was decided that the chairman and superintendent should make inquiries as to the cost of installing a private line from the Koro Koro station to Petone, and placing a siren at Koro Koro. CRICKET MATCHES Upper Hutt League The following matches will be played by the Upper Hutt Cricket League at Maidstone Park, commencing at 2 p.m. on Saturday:— , . Ordnance v. Methodist, No. 1 wicket; Training Depot A v. Trentham, No. 2; Training Depot B v. St. Joseph’s, No. 5; Upper Hutt v, Colte, No. 4. The Maori Bank Colts’ team will be Irvine, Skerton. Smith. Harper. Auckram, Tomlin, Cooper. L. G. McGhie, Dunn, Tucker, King. Emergency, W. E. Cooper. EASTBOURNE RATES Improvement in Collections For the nine months to December 31, £6285 had been collected on aceouM of the current year’s rates, as against £5738 for the same period of the previous year, stated the report of the town clerk and general manager of the Eastbourne Borough Council presented at the council’s meeting last night. The collection on account of arrears amounted to £1072 as compared with £2479. “The current year’s rates have been coming to hand very well, ami the collections on this account for the full year should show an improvement over last year’s collections,” the report said. INTER-CLUB TENNIS Series For To-morrow A further series of the Hutt Valley Lawu Tennis sub-Association's inter-elub matches will be played to-morrow, the draw being as follows:— Senior A.—Hutt Bowling v. Lower Hutt B, at Hutt Bowling; Upper Hutt v. Petone, at Upper Hutt; Lower Hutt A v. Muritai, at Lower Hutt. / Senior B.—St. Augustine’s v. Muritai at Muritai; Petone v.'Central, at Petone: Waiwctu v. Eastern, at Waiwetu. Junior North Section.—Eastern v. Hutt. Bowling, at Eastern; Burnside v. Taita, at Taita; Upper Hutt v. Trentham, at Trentham. Junior South Section.—Western v. Wilford, at Western; Koro Koro v. Lower Hutt, at Lower Hutt; Central v. Muritai. at Central. Third North Section.—Western v. St.

James, at Western ; St. Peter’s and Paul’s v. Eastern, at Eastern; Methodist v Lower Hutt, at Methodist. Third South Section.—Central v. St. Stephens, at St. Stephens: Milford v. Waiwetu, at 'Waiwetu; Petone v. St. Augustine’s, at St. Augustine s Fourth North Section— laita v. St. Peter’s and Paul’s, at St. Peters and Paul’s; Methodist v. Knox, at Knox: Burnside v. Lower Hutt, at Burnside. Fourth South Section— I’on.mga v. bt. Stephens, nt Pononga ; M aiwetu v. tv ford, at Wilford; Randwick v. Koro Koro at Koro Koro. Fifth North Section.—M extern '• I c . u . l ' tral. at Central: Waiwetu v. Randwick, at Ramlwick; St. James v. Pononga, ar St. James. , ... . Fifth South Section.—M ilford v. M inimi, at M’ilford: Western v St. Augustine’s, at St. Augustine s; Randwick v. Pononga, at Pononga. All matches must commence at I.3'J p.m.