POWER BOARD'S SURPLUS

New Zealand Herald, Volume 82, Issue 25202, 15 May 1945, Page 7

POWER BOARD'S SURPLUS

SPARSELY-SETTLED AREAS (0.c.) DARGAVILLE, Monday The second bid in 12' months to have a portion of the North Auckland Elec-tric-Power Board's revenue surplus diverted to a special fund for the reticulation of sparsely-settled areas was made by Mr J. A. S. MacKav at the annual meeting of the board. "His effort was unsuccessful. Mr MacKay opposed the executive committee's recommendation to place £2OOO of the revenue surplus in the general reserves, the final disposal of this sum to be considered in six months' time. "We have now reached practically, the end of our payable areas which return a 15 per cent margin to the board and we cannot now legally proceed with reticulation unless with the aid of subsidies," said Mr MacKay. "It has been estimated by the engineer that £30,000 would be required to subsidise these localities. The committee's recommendation was adopted. PATRIOTIC FUNDS (0.C.) ROTORTTA, Monday Of the £4OOO quota assigned to the Rotorua inter-zone patriotic area, only about £ISOO remains to be collected, although the campaign will not end until June 30. Four committees, representing the Maoris, Public Service, Sports and Combined Services, have been active in raising funds by means of a king and queen carnival, the Maori representatives being at present in the lead.

SCOUTS' BICYCLE TOUR (0.C.) DARGAVILLE, Monday A 200-mile bicycle tour of North Auckland is now being undertaken by members of the Wellsford troop of Boy Scouts, who arrived in Dargaville on Saturday. Led by Scoutmaster A. Fish, the boys will visit Waipoua Forest, Kaikohe, Rawene. Waitangi, Russell, Kawakawa and Whangarei. REMAND FOR SENTENCE Found guilty by a jury on Friday night on three charges of indecently assaulting youths, Henry Willis, aged 78, a farmer (Mr Henry and Mr Rice), was brought before Mr Justice Callan yesterday. The jury had added a strong recommendation to mercy on account of accused's age and previous good character. In the temporary absence of Mr Justice Cornish, who conducted the trial, Mr Henry asked that accused be released on his previous bail during further remand. Mr Cleal, for the Crown, offered no objection, and was remanded for sentence until June 7 or such earlier date as might be notified.