Bay of Islands Power Board Election

Northland Age, Volume 6, Issue 29, 9 April 1937, Page 4

Bay of Islands Power Board Election

No Election Necessary in Town Area or Mangonui County As there was only one nomination for the position of the Kaitaia Town Area representative on the newlyformed Bay of Islands Power Board, that of Mr. T Icyd Peace, lie has been duly elected. Messrs. H. H. Thompson and E. F. Bradley were the only persons nominated as the two representatives required for the Mangonui County and so these two gentlemen have been elected. Mr. Peace is a member of the Kaitaia Town Board and has taken a leading part in many of the progressive movements in the town. He was the Board’s representative at the meetings of the local authorities of the North that have been held preparatory to the formation of the Power Board. Mr. Thompson is a member of the Mangonui County Council, its representative on the Highways Board and one of the representatives of the Council at the conferences at which the decision to form a Power Board in the North was reached. Mr. Bradley is a retired electrical engineer, a New Zealander, but with experience in almost every country in the World. The decision to form a Power Board in the Far North was arrived at after various conferences of local authorities and the area includes the Bay of Islands County and part of the Mangonui County with the Kaitaia and Kaikohe Town areas. The Whangaroa and Hokianga Counties did not favour the formation of a Power Board. The estimate of the cost of the reticulation of the district with power from Arapuni is £275,000 but before any work can be commenced, the sanction of the Loans Board and the ratepayers to the raising of a loan for this purpose has to be obtained and it is considered that this sanction will not be given for such a large expenditure, although if the Government was prepared to bring the high tension reticulation to the fartherest north proposed substation at Kaitaia, instead of to Okaihau only, this would reduce the expenditure required from the district and in that case the loan may be possible. At present the Board is without any funds, the initial expenditure being borne by the Bay of Islands and Mangonui Countes and the Kaitaia and Kaikohe Town Boards. For the Kaikohe Town Area representative on the Board only one nomination, that of Mr. N. A. Ellery, was received, and he has been declared elected. bor the two seats for the Bay of Islands County, an election, the only one, will be necessary, as the following have been nominated: Messrs. A. E. Bisset, H. M. Cookson, E. P. Moir, H. H. Mountain, G. H. McKenzie, E. S. Ralls and V. H. Reed