MAY BE TESTED.
PRIVATE PHONE LINE-OWNERS’ CLAIMS." IS COMPENSATION ENFORCE IDLE? Can private telephone owners, whose lines have been removed to make way for the electric reticulation of a district, enforce the payment of compensation by a Power Board ? Tho Poverty Bay Power Board was conftonted Witlh this problem yesterday, when a claim was received" from the Ngatapa Telephone Association for compensation for tho removal of ten miles of lines ■in that district. The clerk (Mr M. J. White) reported that six lines involving, in all, some 50 subscribers, were concerned in the claim. Under a policy defined by the Board, he had arranged with the owners of one line to accept £2 10s per mile compensation. At that time he was unaware of the existence of a Ngatapa Telephone Association and when a letter was received from Mr Jas. Campbell, as secretary of that body, claiming compensation for ten miles of line removed he made a similar offer of compensation to the association for the balance of subscribers, but the communication remained unanswered. He read a letter from Mr Campbell’s solicitors, intimating his intention of commencing an action for the recovery of £3 2s 6d, representing an eighth share of one line. The difference between the amount the Board offered and the amount claimed by Mr Campbell was 8/6, but he was unable to say if this amount would be the difference in all cases, as there were different lengths of line. The Chairman (Mr F, R„ Ball) mentioned that, according to advice given by Mr T. F. Martin, counsel to the Power Board Association, theer was no legal compulusion upon any Board to grant compensation to private telephone owners for the removal of lines. If this dispute was taken to court it would be in the nature of a test case.
This view was supported by the Consulting Engineer (Mr H .F. Toogood), who stated that a number of ower boards had made no grants of compensation to private phone lino owners.
After further discussion, the Board referred the question to their solicitor, and the consulting engineer for advice
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Bibliographic details
Gisborne Times, Volume LXVIII, Issue 10728, 27 October 1928, Page 6
Word Count
351MAY BE TESTED. Gisborne Times, Volume LXVIII, Issue 10728, 27 October 1928, Page 6
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