RATE REDUCTIONS

Evening Post, Volume CXXIV, Issue 146, 17 December 1937, Page 15

RATE REDUCTIONS

HUTT POWER BOARD

A statement on the recent reduction in rates was made by the chairman (Mr. A. W. Press) at the meeting of! the Hutt Valley Electric Power Board yesterday afternoon.

Mr. Press said that -the board had been striving since its inception to bring down the cost of electricity and could now claim with reasonable pride that its objective had been achieved. While there had been unfavourable comparisons in the past with the city rates, consumers who were now prepared to become all-round users of electricity would have no cause to complain in the future.

In 1929 the primary units were 6d per unit, and 150 units then cost the consumer 255, or 2d per unit; from January, 1938, the primary units would cost 4Jd and the secondary id, less discounts, making the net unit rate approximately 13-15 d. He had based hii comparison on 150 units, as this was the approximate average of a mode-rate-sized house, using lighting, heating, and cooking.

It was not with the thought of competing with gas that the Power Board had made such attractive rates, but it was done solely with the object of load building, to create a wider diversity, and to encourage consumers to instal electric ranges so that they would avail themselves of a cheaper medium of lighting, heating, and cooking. Those who had not installed electric ranges had not been overlooked, as an increase in the adjustable discount of slightly over 4 per cent, had been made to them. The board's objective was to make the price of electricity so low that nobody could afford to be without a fully-equipped electrical home.

The following comparisons of power sales from April 1 to November-30 were given by the engineer and general manager (Mr. E. F. Hollands) as follows, the figures for the same period last year being in parentheses:—Availability rate, £45,609 18s 5d (£44,707 2s lid): commercial lighting, £9320.16s 6d (£8556 11s Sd); water heating, £8206 6s 2d (£7283 16s lid); power, £22,180 12s 8d (£16.201 9s); public lighting, £2578 6s (£2529 Is 9d); totals (discount deducted), £80,959 OslOd (£71,693-11s 7d). an increase of £9265 9s 3d.

Mr. Hollands reported that during November 57 new consumers were connected to the board's reticulation and a further 87 additions were made to existing installations. The total to November 30 were as follows:—Number of consumers, 13,180; ranges installed, 2360; water heaters connected, 2231: connected load in k.w., 55,184. Units purchased for November were 2,806,100.