ELECTRIC POWER

Manawatu Standard, Volume LVI, Issue 92, 18 March 1936, Page 2

ELECTRIC POWER

NATIONALISATION POLICY. MR SEMPLE’S STATEMENT. CITY AUTHORITIES AFFECTED. Per Press Association. INVERCARGILL, March 17. The ultimate nationalisation of the electric supply undertakings in New Zealand is the aim of the Government according to the Alinister of Public Works (Hon. R. Semple), who spoke on the subject at a conference , winch he and the Minister of Finance (Hon. W\ Nash) had with members of tlie Southland Electric Power Board today. Mr Semple’s remarks were made after the board’s decision to reject the Government’s offer to take over the scheme and sell power to the board had been made known to the Ministers. "i am exceedingly sorry that the board has not accepted one of the two proposals, both of which in my own view were very liberal,” said Air Semple. “These offers cannot be made again. We have these troubles all over New Zealand and we are determined to put the electrical undertakings in this country on a sound footing. We have £14,000,000 of the people’s money invested in them and that cannot be endangered, yet efforts are frequently made by local bodies and others to undermine the State enterprises, and there is ruinous and unnecessary competition in several areas, with people paying twice tor the same service offered by competing interests. Of this we do not approve. It is wasteful and uneconch mic. There is needless duplication, ruinous overhead wastage, and constant overlapping. “Wo shall have ultimately to consider taking over the whole supply ol electric energy and managing it on a national basis, with the double P ul j pose of protecting the money invested by the people in their own State undertakings and reducing charges ior current so that the poo est may have use of it. That is our ultimate aim, and I am satisfied that we cannot achieve it under the present system. In the process your scheme must sooner or later coir.e in witn the rest. You will not again have an offer such as we are making to-day, and its accep ance must work out to the advantage of consumers in this local’ty. This problem of nationlisation ’.4 one which must l>e tack'ed some day to save tho peou'e from themselves. No Government could allow such m: initial tactics as those at present adopted to continue without an effort to make an improvement and this Government will make that effort--io rationalise distribution and cut down costs. I cannot i"e any way *o do this except by making flic supply and sale m electricity a national mono.io y. Jt w n take lime, a number o c years, and vs may rot comp’u.e it. Imt wo than start,” Air Semple added.