NOT HIGH

Evening Post, Volume CXX, Issue 125, 22 November 1935, Page 6

NOT HIGH

HUTT POWER CHARGES

FOR INDUSTRIAL PURPOSES

The Hutt Valley Electric Power Board took exception at its .meeting yesterday afternoon to statements ai- ; leged to have been made at a meeting j of the Wellington Manufacturers' Association about high power charges. The statements were made mostly \ about the Wellington city charges. s Mr. L. Stewart said the discussion at the meeting, of the Manufacturers' Association suggested that industries ] were being turned away from the Hutt \ Valley because of the high power charges, and he thought the statements were irresponsible. The Hutt Power Board had always catered for : industries, and had made the power charges for industries as low as possible. The Auckland Power Board was one of the richest in New Zealand, and he took out the following figures for an industry. Auckland, taking 3600 units per month—the first 100 at 2Jd and 3500 at Id, less 10 per cent.— charged £19 13s 9d. and the Hutfs charge was £13 11s 2d. Mr. A. J. McCurdy said that the Manufacturers* Association's statements "were irresponsible. The engineer and general manager (Mr. E. F. Hollands) said he had been told by several people at the Manufacturers' Association meeting that the Hutt Power Board's charges were not discussed. The question of rates had been given serious consideration by him, he said. It the Hutt Power Board, in its early stages, had not given deccrtt rates to industries: they would not have come to the Hutt Valley, and there was no doubt that industries had largely helped to make the Hutt. Wellington city had a remarkably low domestic rate, but the commercial people had to pay high charges because of it. In the Hutt Valley there was a low commercial rate and a somewhat higher domestic rate. He hoped gradually to do away with the two-meter system, and in time would be able to evolve the ideal rate. Mr. Hollands gave the following comparisons of industrial charees for Hutt Valley consumers and Wellington, the sum that would be charged to them in Wellington being in parentheses:—A local body. £438 12s Id (a. charee £854 13s 2d: b. charge £736 17s IOdV, another local body. £147 8s 2d (£2S!S 12s lid): various factories, £3 13s Id (£5 12s sd): £10 7s 7d (£l3 Is 8d): £9 19s 2d (£l6 9s lOd); £44 7s 9d (£62 13s 8d); £21 3s 15d (£27 17s 7d); £95 13s 9d (£l3 10s 3d); larf.e shops, £6 16s 4d (£7 7s UdK £12 0s lOd (£l3 Ins Bdi; theatre. £10 7s 2d (£ll 15s Id).