POWER CONTROL.

Manawatu Times, Volume XLII, Issue 1736, 11 February 1921, Page 2

POWER CONTROL.

'■ » IS PALMERSTON GETTING A POINT ON? Reference was made by Cr O. McElroy, chairman of the Oroua County Council,at its meeting on Wednesday, to the latest developments in connection with the Oroua HydroElectric Power Board. From what he could gather, he said, things were not running too smoothly in this connection. Cr McElroy criticised the basis of representation on the proposed power board, contending that the representation of the various local bodies should be according to the rateable value of the area under their control and not according to population. He read a table showing the capital and unimproved value of the population of the various areas affected. He mentioned this because the question of what attitude the Council were going to take up would comb up for discussion at a later meeting. The question was whether the Government were going to carry out the representation scheme suggested by Mr Birks. Mr Harford had received a telegram from the Minister yesterday which would not lead them to believe that that was so. It seemed an extraordinary thing if Palmerston North, Manawatu County and Kairanga County, who had stood out of the board when they had an opportunity to come in, but had stood aloof, should now be allowed to smash up what had been done already, now that they found they could not get a separate license. —Cr Morrison pointed out that, according to the representation figures recently published, the three bodies mentioned would have seven members (Manawatu County two, iKairanga County two and Palmerston North three) against five for the rest of the district. He reminded the Council that he had opposed the proposal to advance £SO towards the expenses of the provisional committee when it had come up, as he could then foresee what was going to happen. The point was that if the Minister of Public Works sanctioned the latest proposal, the committee' already set up would not be recognised at all. He had said when the matter came up that Palmerston, Kairanga and Manawatu would have the voting power because they had the population.—The chairman: (It is entirely wrong that it should be on that basis.—Cr Morrison said that the Council should insist that, if a new committee were formed they should take over the liability of the old committee.- —The chairman: That is what they are going to do. —Cr Morrison: I am not so sure of that. He went on to express as to whether there was any written authority from the Minister authorising the present committee to chrry on.—Cr i Brewster; What will they do with tlie work which has already been done?—Cr Morrison: I think they will turn that down. In reply to a question he stated that some canvassing had already been dene. “Palmerston North / wants control of the whole thing. She has the majority and the voting power and pan do it,” he said.——Cr Greenhow: I understood that the position was quite sure when we voted that £so.—Cr Vincent: They have not repudiated it yet.—Cr Morrison said he gathered from the meeting in Palmerston North that it was intended to start all over again.—Cr Greenhow: If the committee is not properly constituted they are quite right.—The discussion, then dropped. »