LIGHTING TOO DEAR?

Evening Post, Volume CXVI, Issue 96, 20 October 1933, Page 7

LIGHTING TOO DEAR?

A question that would have to be faced, Raid Mr. A. Walker was that of reducing lighting charges to small consumers, who Sn.the Hutt Valley paid more than small consumers in the city.

The engineer and general manager (Mr. B'l. V. Hollands) and tbo chairman said that this was open to question.

Mr. Hollands said it had to be remembered that the lighting peak hours in the jcity -were three times greater than those an the.valley, for in the city there were toiany. dark streets where the lights had to be turned on an hour earlier than in jthe Hutt. , In Wellington. there were Jtvealthy firms that kept their lights on Until round .about 10 o'clock at night, Jfrhereas in the Hutt most lights were turnpd down when the shops closed at 5.30 J>.m. ' ' Mr. Hollands said that if the Hutt had the whole or part of the commercial load of, Wellington, the rates would be able to come down, and despite the lack of density, the Hutt Valley board's rates compared favourably with those of any other part in New Zealand or Australia. The Hutfc Valley board was eight years old, compared with the city department's forty years.

By comparison per consumer, said Mr. Blackley, the Hutt Valley board was 20 per cent, a better consumer of the Government's electricity supply than Wellington City. The total units purchased ]ast year by Wellington City from the Government and generated amounted to £6,584,000, while the Hutfc Valley board bought 23,000,000 units. The discussion then lapsed.