POWER BOARD'S STAFF

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXX, Issue 21596, 14 September 1933, Page 11

POWER BOARD'S STAFF

REVIEW OF WAGES URGED CONSIDERATION DEFERRED [from our own correspondent] HAMILTON, Wednesday A demand that a promise .made by the chairman, Mr. T. Hinton, for the review of wages of employees of the Central Electric-Power Board be fulfilled was made by Mr. W. Lee Martin at a meeting of the board to-day. Mr. Martin said it appeared that on th^ success of the board's trading operations the last reductions were never justified. " \ Mr. W. C. E. George said that in England local bodies had' been restoring cuts in wages for some time past. The chairman said that since the board abolished the meter rents and reduced the charges for power from 3d to 2Jd A unit the demand had greatly increased. As far as the wages were concerned they, had been reduced only 10 per tent all round. He considered the board's employees were well paid. He suggested that the question be deferred until March, when the board could review its financial position. He thought the next reduction should be in the charges for lighting. The engineer, Mr. J. R. Ellis, submitted figures showing that the board's charges for current were extremely low. In one case he quoted, a farmer milking 70 cows, paid only £8 4s, 2d a year for current. Mr. George said if the figures quoted were made known every farmer in the district would require current. The secretary, Mr. H. J. Beieche, said that up to the end of July the board's sales showed an increase of from £ISOO to £I6OO over the figures for the corresponding period last year. The board deferred consideration of the wages question.