CO-OPERATION WANTED

King Country Chronicle, Volume XXXII, Issue 4641, 18 May 1938, Page 5

CO-OPERATION WANTED

RETICULATION OF DISTRICT. GOVERNMENT DEPARTMENTS' ATTITUDE. More co-operation from Government Departments in reticulation of country districts was strongly urged by Mr. W. A. Lee at the annual meeting of the Waitomo Power Board on Monday. He held that the attitude of certain Government Departments, and particularly of the Lands Department branch, was depriving a number of people from having electricity supplied to them. The subject was broached by a report of negotiations for the supply of Lee's block, near Hangatiki, with electricity. The Department, as is usual with all Government Departments, refused to sign the guarantees of revenue required of the private individual, and the Board had asked that sufficient apparatus be installed to bring the estimated revenue up to the £54 that would normally have been the amount of the guarantee. However, the Department said it proposed only to install sufficient apparatus to give an estimated revenue of £42, only taking in four houses and two sheds, with no ranges in the houses, nor any water heaters in the sheds.

"Surely this is not the right lead to obtain from the Government," said Mr. Lee. "These people know that it will be only a matter of a year at the most before another two sheds are connected up, and it is only reasonable to expect that more equipment be installed. I am of opinion that, in fairness to everyone, we cannot go on until the estimated revenue is equal to the guarantee." Mr. Brook suggested that the consumers there should be approached to install ranges, but this was deemed unwise in that they held no security of tenure.

On Mr. Lee's motion it was decided to proceed with the line when the equipment to be installed was deemed sufficient.

Another matter that was the subject of criticism was the action of the Post and Telegraph Department in installing a coal range in the Otorohanga Postmaster's residence without first- securing prices for electric cooking. "This is a matter which should be taken up, and taken up strongly," commented Mr. Cato on the latter case.