UNIFORM RATE FOR ELECTRIC SUPPLY.

Manawatu Times, Volume LXII, Issue 1710, 13 December 1920, Page 5

UNIFORM RATE FOR ELECTRIC SUPPLY.

A VEXED QUESTION*. At the Hydro-Electrical Conference at TeHding on Friday Mr Smart brought up the nuestiou of whether a uniform rate for tlie whole district under the Board would be strictly adhered to. The chairman said that for the purposes of rating the Government favoured one big scheme for the whole district Seeing that Feuding had already got its plant, the Board, when formed, would have to purchase it if the big scheme were adopted, and the rate would be uniform over the whole area. Mr Bryce pointed out that if each district was left to strike its own rate, the back country would never be reticulated. Mr McElroy said he understood from what the Chief Engineer said that the Board would have power to strike a special rate. The chairman said the most thickly populated parts would be reticulated first and the reticulation gradually extended to the less thickly populated parts. Mr Bryce asked if rating would be withheld from the back country until the Board wished to proceed with the reticulation, and, if so, -would a special rate be struck for the back country, or the uniform rate be adhered to? Mr Smart said that if they rated according to the cost of reticulatibrf, it would put the back country right out of it. He would like it to be made clear as to whether there was any provision in the Act for differential rating to be employed. He read a letter his Council had received from the Under-Secretary for Public Works in reply to a query on the matter, which stated: ""There is no provision in the existing acts for differential rating as between parts of an Electric Power District. The district as a whole is responsible for the loan required to reticulate the whole of the district. No district has yet proposed to make increased charges for power delivered in any one portion of the district as compared with any other portion. The whole spirit -of the act is that the charges should be uniform over the whole district, and if any other policy is proposed, it would be necessary to go into the legal aspect before advising-." Mr Harford said that in other schemes, such as that of Te Awamutu, the uniform rate had been struck over the whole district, and he believed that -was the Government's idea. There was no precedent for the differential rate. Mr Smart considered that the reply received still left a loop-hole for the differential rate to be struck if the Board wanted it. Mr Bryce said the rate-payers in the back country would not sign the petition till they had definite information that the uniform rate would be adhered to. He thought they could get that assurance from the Minister. Mr Morrison agreed that definite information on the point was necessary. Mr Bryce then moved "that the Public Works Department be asked to give an assurance that the rate over the whole of the rating area under the Board will be uniform." —Mr Smart seconded the motion. Mr Harfoard said the Board itself would have the power to say what form of rating it would adopt, and that was the answer they would receive from the Department. Mr Bryce said that the more thickly populated areas would have predominating numbers on the Board, and if what Mr Harford said was correct, it would be only human for the majority of the members in their, own interests to adopt the differential system. At the same time he believed the uniform rate was the Government's idea. The motion was then'put and carried unanimously. Some discussion followed a motion from Mr Smart, "That the Minister for Public Works be asked to give his assurance that no other license be granted outside the Power Board, with the exception of Palmerston North."—The mover explained that in Manawatu County a petition for a license was being circulated, and while he djd not suggest that influence might be brought to bear on the Minister, he would like to have his written assurance that no other license would be given.—The motion was carried.

POHANGINA COUNTY'S POSITION. Reporting to the Pohangina County Council on Saturday regarding the meeting 1 of the provisional committee of the Oroua Hydro-Electric Power Board on Friday, the chairman (Cr. H. W. Smart) mentioned that the Mayor of Feilding (Mr Harford) and the secretary of the committee (Mr Hubbard), had offered to address the ratepayers of each county on the subject of hydro-electric power. The matter of advertising 1 the hydro-elec-tric proposals and explaining what was to be done could be done by the Councillors to a large extent. The chairman explained that before the Board could be set up, a petition had to be signed by not less than 25 per cent, of the ratepayers. It was proposed to hold meetings at Raumai and Apiti on sale days, when as many of the ratepayers as possible could sign the petition. He thought they could get the consent of the ratepayers to join in with the Board. The speaker pointed out that signing the petition did not involve the ratepayers in any expenditure until they wanted to take the power. When the Board was formed, it would go into the business of reticulation, and other business matters, and would then have to place a scheme before the ratepayers. He hoped to see a flat rate .struck over the whole of the area controlled by the Board, and not a differential rate which would mean the the county would never have the power. This was a question for the Board to decide. The consent of 25 per cent, of the ratepayers had to be obtained for the raising of the loan, and if the Board decided on the differential rate they need not vote for it but coiild become an "outer area," as it would cost too much under the differential >ate.