POWER SUPPLY

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXXIV, Issue 22864, 20 October 1937, Page 19

POWER SUPPLY

THAMES YALLEY BOARD REPRESENTATION question PAEROA OBJECTS TO PROPOSAL [BY TELEGRAPH OWN CORRESPONDENT] PAEROA. Tuesday Following upon the recent decision of the Thames Valley Electric-Power Board to combine the Thames and To Aroba boroughs for the purpose of representation on the board, and thus allow a member to the Waihi borough, which has recently come into the Power Board's district, advice has been rereived in Paeroa that the Public Works Department has now recommended that the Paeroa and Waihi boroughs should be combined for this purpose, and that Thames and To Aroba should remain as formerly. Two months ago the board debated at length the request by the department that Waihi should be given representation. A conference was held among the Thames and Te Aroba boroughs, which are bulk /consumers, and the Power Board representatives, and at the September meeting of the board a proposal to amalgamate those boroughs only for the purpose of representation 011 the board was defeated by one vote. A proposal to ask the Government to amend the legislation to increase the membership from 12 to 16 and thus allow the Hauraki Plains, Matamata and Piako counties extra representatives and the Waihi borough one member, was carried. Advice that this proposition was not acceptable to the Public Works Department was received at the board meeting held on October 0,, and without discussion- dr dissent the department's recommendation that Thames and Te Aroba should be amalgamated was adopted. The MaVor of PaA-oa, Mr. W. Marshall. telegraphed the Minister of Public Works, the Hon. R. Semple, today stating that to combine the Paeroa and Waihi boroughs for representation purposes would be most unfair and deeply resented in Paeroa. Hq asked for an assurance that the decision regarding Thames and Te Aroba would, not be altered. The Mayor also sent a telegram to Mr. J. Thorn, M.P., pointing out that the board obtained from Paeroa more revenue than from Thames arid Te Aroba combined. If the proposal were proceeded with he would : call an indignation meeting. 1