POWER BOARDS

Greymouth Evening Star, 12 September 1934, Page 8

POWER BOARDS

GOVT. POLICY OUTLINED. [PEB PBESS ASSOCIATION.] WELLINGTON, September 12. The conference of Power Boards’ authorities was opened to-day by Ji A, Nash, President. There were present the Premier (Mr. Forbes), the Minister of Public Works (Mr. Bitchener) and the Leader of the Opposition (Mr. Savage). Mr. Forbes said the Government had invested £12,455,000 and local anthorites £20,000,000 in hydro-electric-1 ity in sixteen years. An interesting! thing was that the business was built up on sound lines to run most efficiently. “We had passed through a period of depression in the last three years, aqd this retarded progress, but business had not slipped back. He noticed a reference on the order paper about reducing the rate. It had always been the intention of the Government to supply the people of the country at the lowest possible rate, without any intention of making profits above those required to meet depreciation and interest. After operating and making provision for these, there remained £116,976, but there was a debit of accumulated losses of £576,000 they had to work off. He mentioned that the Waitaki will be coming in this year, and would show a loss until it could get into full use. If the scheme was a business in which ■it was able to show a profit over and above these things, the policy of the Government would be to make reductions and give as cheap power as possible to the people.

Mr. Bitchener expressed the opinion that, the strength of the organisation would be in the way of larger power boards and supply authorities. He thought there were too many boards and that more co-operation among the various authorities and districts would help to get further along the road than at present.