POWER BOARDS.

Hawke's Bay Tribune, Volume XII, Issue 244, 28 September 1922, Page 4

POWER BOARDS.

ADMINISTRATIVE PROPOSALS. CONFERENCE RECOMMENDATIONS. Wellington, Sept. 28. The following further business was dealt with at the Power Boards conference yesterday:— A remit suggesting that section 15 of the Act, which makes it illegal for a member of a board to become a consumer of electricity to a greater extent than £lO in any oue year or to enter into an agreement with the board of which he is a member for the installation of electrical equipment over that value, be amended, was carried. The Minister said it was intended to amend the Act to meet the objections raised. A remit asking that the Government be requested to establish a loan to power hoards department in conjunction with the State Advances Office was carried. The Te Awamutu Board suggested that provision be made in the Act to allow power boards to acquire land for the purpose of growing timber suitable for electric line poles. It was finalb decided to recommend to the Forestry Department that it should make provision for the planting of trees suitable for electric line poles, and that the question of making provision in the Act enabling power hoards to acquire land for tree-planting purposes be considered in twelve mouths time. Mr. J. A. Nash, M.P. (Manawatu aud Oroua) moved that in order to avoid collecting any rate struck to meet preliminary the Electric Power Boards Act be amended aud provision be made whereby boards can pay out ot loan moneys any sums spent in respect of the cost of survey, preliminary and other expenses, and otiice requisites, etc., provided such items oi expenditure were included in the purposes of the loan and inserted in the voting paper submitted to the ratepayers. Hie remit was carried. . Mr. Nash moved that boards be given power to borrow against any rate struck without collecting it for the purpose of meeting preliminary and other expenses and to enable the whole of overdraft to be refunded out oi loan. — Carried. Other remits carried were:—mat provision be made for an exchange of territory where the originally fixed boundaries of electric power boards are found to require revision to enable certain areas to be more economically supplied by the board of an adjacent area ; that the Public Works Department arrange for the Dominion licensing of electrical wiremen by competent I Mia rds. A special committee was appointed to meet the engineers of the P. and T., Railways, and Public Works Boards concerning remits affecting those departments. A further remit carried was: — In view of the fact that the Public Works Department retains the right to cut off any power in excess of that allotted to the various power boards in the South Auckland Power Board's area, the department btvesked to agree that any power taken in excess of the respective allocation be subject to a special discount of 10 per cent.” PRIVATE ELECTRICAL FIRMS. APPEAL FOR CONSIDERATION. Wellington, Sept. 27. At the conference of delegates of electric power boards of the Dominion in Wellington a deputation of from 30 to 40 electrical firms waited upon the conference, asking that private firms 'should be given due consideration in establishing these boards in the Do- . .... ... . Mr. A. Fleming (Wellington) directed the attention bf the conference to the considerable stake that private electrical firms had in the country. He knew there was a feeling among power lioards that there was a ring in electrical firms and that they could do better by doing the work themselves. As taxpayers they sought to protect their own interests and hoped the boards would give them consideration. The lioards had a great work in front of them and he wished them every sqcdeputation was thanked for its attendance and informed that the points raised would receive consideration. Mr. F. W. Furkert said he was sure if the power boards felt that they were getting a fair deal from private traders they would not set up in opposition to them.