COULD BE REDUCED

Evening Star, Issue 20556, 7 August 1930, Page 9

COULD BE REDUCED

CHARGES FOR ELECTRIC POWER GROWTH OF DEMAND BEYOND CONSUMPTION The inability of the electrical department to advertise or reduce .its charges, as it would not bo in a position to cater for the extra business, is the subject of comment by the city electrical engineer (Mr M. C. Henderson) in his annual report. “The year under review was one of steady progress, the increase in units generated being more than 15 per cent, over the previous twelve months, in spite of the fact that nothing was done by the department to stimulate the growth of load,” states Mr Henderson. “It is of interest to note that the output has more than doubled within the last five years—from 30,903,000 units generated in the year ended March, 1925, to 63,274,000 for that just closed “Assuming that the present load factor remains constant in the future and that the rate of growth is maintained, Waipori will be developed up to its full generating capacity by the end of the financial year 1936. It is very doubtfnl if construction can be carried on quickly enough to keep up to such a growth. _ , “If it were possible for the department to fall into line with all up-to-date commercial concerns and advertise the service that it can render, there is little doubt that the time required to double tho output again would .be reduced. For only a very brief period in many years has it been possible to do any advertising, because it would only have led to business that the department was not in a position to cater for.

“The same may be said of the charges, which, in my opinion, could be reduced but for the fact that such a step would likewise stimulate business and create greater difficulties than we are in at present. Such a step would, I believe, be the best possible advertisement."