CITY POWER SUPPLY.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LIX, Issue 18079, 2 May 1922, Page 8

CITY POWER SUPPLY.

THE GOVERNMENT AGREEMENT

USE OF AUXILIARY WORKS

A meeting of. the Auckland Electric Power Board was held yesterday afternoon, the chairman, Mi. W. J. Holdsworth, presiding. A report from the board's solicitors upon the agreement between the Power Board and the Minister for Public Works was considered in detail. A new clause prohibiting the board from providing any other source of supply excepting auxiliary works lor use in case of stoppage of supply by the Minister was included in tho agreement. "It will be noticed that the auxiliary works can only be used in the event of a stoppage of supply by the Minister," stated the solicitors' report, " which might not cover the case oi an insumcient suppiy. The clause then provides that the Minister 6hail provide the whole quantity of electrical energy required by the board, but in the event of an insufficiency of supply arising from any of the causes meDtioned, the Minister would probablry be .protected by that clause, while the board, according to »ln letter of the agreement, might not be able to employ its auxiliary plant to make up the deficiency." After some discussion, it was decided to refer the agreement to the Minister, with a request that the clause ia question be made to cover insufficiency of supply as well as stoppage. On the recommendation of the ingincer, tenders for cables wore accepted as follows :—E. R. Rudge and Co., £5124 3s 9d ; Richardson, McCabe and Co., £1108 15s; Tumhull and Jones, Ltd., £5684 13s. ilt was reported that no financial provision had yet been made to meet this expenditure, which was part of the £62,000 estimate submitted to tho Auckland City Council. Mr. S. I. Oookes moved, according to notice of motion, that the resolution to acouire the Harbour Boaid site b> lescinded. A very long discussion ensued, in which Mr. Crookes and other r-peakers urged that the acquisition of this site at a rental of £1200 a year would not be in the best interests of ratepayers, while others held that it was necessary, for the storage of coal and as a sub-station. The ohairman expressed the opinion thst it would be doing the board a grave iniustice to cramp its activities in tie initial stages. It wns at present entirely denendent on the Harbour Board for coal storage, and its needs were bound to increase The motion was eventually lost by seven votes to four. ' Another loner discussion centred round a. motion by Mr. M. J. Bennett that the board rescind the minute referring to »he erection of offices' in Quay Street, the mover stating that the situation was ret suitable, and that, to place fhe board's executive offices on the power-house site would not be studying the interests of either the board's business, or those < f its customers. The motion was defeated by seven votes to four.