CONCERN FELT

Hauraki Plains Gazette, Volume 60, Issue 4306, 19 July 1950, Page 12

CONCERN FELT

POWER BOARD’S DELAY ADMISSION INTO AREA PROTEST FROM COROMANDEL Considerable concern is felt in Coromandel at the delay which is taking place in admitting the Coromandel Peninsula within the Thames Valley Electric-Power Board’s district and, as a result of discussions at a recent meeting of the Coromandel Chamber Of Commerce, the following letter has been written by the Chamber to the power board protesting against the decision to defer admission of the Coromahdei area into the board’s district. The letter reads as follows:—

‘This chamber is gravely perturbed at the proposal to defer the admission of the Coromandel county into your power board as rported in the attached cutting from the Hauraki Plains, Gazette of June 14, 1950. \“You will no doubt have on record the proceedings when our president,. Mr A. S. Tonkin, with the president of the Whitianga Chamber of Commerce, Mr G. W. Ross, the late Mr

W. Hamilton and the owners of the two electric supply stations, Mr J. G. Strongman of Coromandel and Mr Clark of Whitianga, waited upon the Rural Reticulation Council in your

offices about two years ago. “The record will show that the deputation’s request for assistance was met with the statement that until our area was included in your power board area the council could do nothing to help us. Reason for Petition “The prime and immediate reason for the petition lodged with you therefore, is so that relief can be given or b» requested to be given from the high charges which the consumers here and in Whitianga are required to pay for electricity. “We are not criticising the right or need for the local supply authorities to make these charges, but we do say that having to pay 7s 6d pep month for each connection, irrespective of curent used, and then 6d per unit for the first 30 units and thereafter 3d per unit, commercial users paying 6d throughout, is a cost, from which consumers are entitled to relief. “We Have a Good Case”

“We submit that we have a good case to place before tjhe Rural Reticulation Council once we have ecquired the necessary status, namely inclusion in a power board area, to enable us to do so.

“We fully realise the difficulties of ' electric power supply, and no one to our knowledge expects that our ad- 1 .mission to your area will automatically entitle us to demand hydro supply. “We believe that the power plants in Coromandel and in Whitianga are capable of supplying many more consumers, but the difficulties and expense of erecting power lines precludes or very greatly delays this being done. “The people in this area, in common with all other taxpayers in the Dominion, are contributors to /State Hydro schemes, but so far are deprived of the benefits of such schemes. We realise that before hydro power is supplied the load survey will be necessary. . No Need For Delay “We submit that there is no need to defer our mere admission into your jiower board area until this is. carried' out, so long as we do realise that the survey must be done before the supply of hydro power is even considered.

“We ask:— (1) ‘‘That we be so admitted wt _ once primarily so that we have the status necessary to qualify us to make lapplication to.the Rural Reticulation Council if or relief from present charges or portion thereof. <2’ “That consideration thereafter >be igiven by your board—with the assistance of the Rural Reticulation Council if need be—to the effecting of extensions of the present power limes so that

when hydro power is available the * reticulation will already be in place to a considerable extent and meant3me more people will have been receiving power from the existing plants. “We respectfully ask therefore that ;he petition be granted immediately.

Yours faithfully, H. B. Hall, secretary.”