ELECTRIC POWER.

Hawera & Normanby Star, Volume XLIV, Issue XLIV, 23 January 1924, Page 8

ELECTRIC POWER.

I'ROPOSAL TO FORM A BOARD. (From Our Patea Correspondent). A meeting of representatives of local bodies musxestted inline louiuiuon of a &outh 'laranaki Power Boaid was held in tue Uorougn Council Chainueis on Monday alter noon last, tor CV JU. Honey Held <Deputy- Mayor) presiding. Tlio meeting is khu outcome 01 a letter received tri>m tne Mayor 01 jUawera by the Patea i>orougxi and County Councils and Wavwley -'Lowa lioaia, asking lor tue support ot tuese bodies m the formation 01 tne proposed Power lioard, antl oilering to uoiu a, meeting in A'utett to thoroughly expiiun matten. At the request of the chairman, Mr Boaie (Mayor ol kxawma) expiuinea tne objects ot the meeting ttnd the reasons for the iormutiun ot such a board, Jt was, he saici, prepared to include Patea lioroagh and County and Waver ley town district in the outer area. SucU area would not be liable to rating., The Hoard would have the right to purchase the Hawera County Jbilectric Uompany h plant in 1927. Ihere was no suggestion of supplying electric current u> the outer urea at piresent; the idea is merely to form a power board to protect thomsolves aguinst the possibility of being included in "the Taranaki Power Board's area. Mr iiirks, the chief electrical engineer to the Governpient, fully approved the proposal. Mjr Murdoch endorsed the remarks of Mr Bono, and Mer Welsh, solicitor, put before the meeting the legal aspect. - ■ '■ . ■; ' -:■,■." ■. • • Air J. Gibbs, chairman Patea County Council, said lie was under the impra»sion that the Haweru delegates weTe coming down hox-e to tell the setclers and others that, they had elecltric current to sell them, but apparently this was not so. Probably tiie lormation of a Power Board might be a step in the right direction, more particularly as the board wouid either generate current iteslf or buy forom any other boaid > in the cheapest market. I Mr Adlatu said he would like to know how local bodies who already had plants were going to fare. Would the Power Board purchase them ? Mr Bone explained that the plants would be purchased, ond if of any une! to the boaiy] would b© ulilised, but if not ot any fuse would be scrapped. | After a general discussion, it was decided to adjourn till such time as Mr , Bone could arrange with Mr Birks to come to Patea and fully explain matters to the reprtoscntativea ; the local bodies then to make up their minds as to the course they intend to pursue. Mr Bone pointed out that the board could not go any further until they had the decision of those local bodies, as the first sten will be defining the area and fixing the boundaries, both, inner and outer. A hearty vote of thanks to the chair closed tha proceedings.