CORRESPONDENCE.

Evening Star, Issue 12275, 16 August 1904, Page 7

CORRESPONDENCE.

Every letter must bo accompanied by iho name and address of the writer, not necessarily for publication, but as a guarantee of good faith. Rejected letters cannot be returned under any circumstances whatever. Correspondents are advised to keep copies (if 'heir letters, as this rule will be adhered to strictly* THE CORPORATION AND THE WAIPORI ELECTRIC POWER COMPANY. 10 THE EDITOR. Sir, —If the suburbs think that by encouraging the Waipori Company they will encourage competition, and that this will keep down the price of electric light, they make a mistake. Did this occur with gas? Certainly not. Had the whole output been in the hands of the City Council the averagecost of production would have been lea?, and Caversham, Morningtou, and Roslyu would all these years have boeu paying 6s 3d per I,oooft, instead of Bs. and most likely it would have bceu ss. Tlve suburbs, then, are just as likely to fall into the bands of the Waipori Company as they did into the hands of the Caversham Oamvorks Company. The function of the City Council is not competition nor to make money like a private company—they run a commodity for the benefit of the people. The profits arc either devoted to a reduction in price or to public purposes. Iho move electric power the Corporation bring in the less it will cost. In other words, if (be whole output of electricity is in the hands of the City Council, the price must be lens than if it were divided between two bodies with their double (rest of hydraulics and electric hooks and management espouses. The citizens might, an "well allow a competing gasworks or waterworks as allow the Waipori Company's electric power to enter Dunedin. And it wtu'.d'be infinitely worse if Parliament consented to nidi a proposal. Not long ego it passed an Act conserving all the water powers of the county for the people’s benefit, and I hear that the Government vetoed a proposal in Auckland by a eyndicato to use tho Buka Palls for generating electricity. It is proposed to mart a clause in the Waipori Bid empowering the Corporation to buy cut.Uic company after tho Rill has passed, lu other words, the citizens arc naked to buy back » goodwill which they have created! At prerent the company have no goodwill, but once the Bill passed they could, without spending 1 another 1 cent, make a munificent sum cut of the Corporation by offering- to abandon -their right to- conio into Dunedin, or they could raise the necessary capital to construct their works, as the company’s power is wort Id css unless it gets into the City. But why should it be forced upon us when the Council are spending thousands of pounds in providing power to meet every requirement? I repeat, the consent to enter Dunedin virtually means that the citizens create the capital to erect opposition electric works which they will have to buy out later on plus goodwill. The thing is monstrous. —I am, etc.. Searchlight. August 16.

CYCLE TRACK. ' TO THE EDITOR, bir,—l think it lime that the cycle track was repaired. I think if the powers that bo placed a bos on the track thov would got a lot of donations. - I, for one, would bo willing to give my mite. The foot passengers might give us a show and walk on tho footpath or keep to one side of tho track. Ifc is very annoying on Sunday afternoons to keep dodging here, there, and everywhere.—l am. etc., . Ctcust, August 15.