The Price Of Gas

Greymouth Evening Star, 13 June 1950, Page 2

The Price Of Gas

Sir,—About a couple of weeks ago the Borough Council decided to increase the price of gas. There was nothing wrong with that, but the sequel is hardly a happy one. The meter readers did not make their usual two-monthly visit, but allowed ah extra month to pass, and consumers now have to pay for three months at the increased price. Can you tell me if the council can legally charge the increased price for the whole three months? It seems to me that Mr Nash is in danger of losing his title of “The Wizard of Finance.” —Yours, ets., GASSED. Cobden, June 12. When the above letter was referred to the borough engineer, Mr A. J. Fairmaid, this morning, he stated that there had been a maximum delay of only 11 days in commencing meter reading, and this had been due to the need to arrive at a decision on the new gas prices consequent on the increase in the price of coal. Actually this delay had meant gas at a cheaper rate than it might have been for most consumers who had been charged only half of the increase. The full increase would be levied in the next period, which would, however, be shorter than usual. Consumers benefited by the delay in reading by having up to 11 extra days at the It was necessary to charge the new price from the beginning of the period because there was no satisfactory method of dividing the period and because the gas department was in no position, having no reserve fund whatsoever, to meet a further loss.