PETONE AFFAIRS

New Zealand Times, Volume XLIII, Issue 10089, 1 October 1918, Page 3

PETONE AFFAIRS

MEETING OF BOROUGH COUNCIL

A meeting of the Petone Council was held last evening. There were present: The Mavor (Mr J. W. HcEwan), and Councillors C. P. Brocklebanlc, J. Churchouse, J. Kyle, D. McE-enzie, K. H. Jones, and B. Tovey. . THE GAS QUESTION. The Mayor, in. referring to the gaa dispute between Petone ana Lower Hint, gavo a lengthy statement covering the nistory of the dispute. He said that apparently the Mayor of Lower Butt : uvir E. P. Kishworth) contended that Petone was not justified by the agreement in reducing the pressure under which gas was supplied to 2J .inches. Mr McEwan said. the. reduction.-.had w> te made in the interests of the citizens of Pctone. Petone. could not_ make * charitable gilt to Hutt or. Hutt to Petone under: the law.:■ .'. The ; onus or securing a judicial interpretation.of tlie pressure clause of the agreement: rested with-tb.G--Hu.it .Council... The profit upon the cost of the supply of gas to Uutt had at no time ■ exceeded , 10 per cent., out of which-(Office and supervision expenses had to"' bo '-paid. The increase in the cost* of production at the works, which amounted to Is sid per 1000 leet could not be forsjoen as it was brought about by war conditions- Sir Kishworth had referred to Petone s pr<>fit in the past, but Hutt had also mad'! a good profit, and expected it to amount to J;GCO this' year. During the year ending March 31st, 1903, the balance- . sheet showed that the surplus, from the gas account, after providing for. depreciation, was JBW3T. During that period 'Hurt )x-insumcrs were supplied direct from . Petone. In 1907 the liabilities woio i-2<i,siJ'o and the assets j 554,400. which showed a deficiency on the years working of -£i!OU, and a loss for the period of .£3451. During ..tnat year i Petone sold its reticulation in the Hutt borough to the Hutt Council for £Wn. Care had to be taken in the ■management of the works, and by 1011 the debit balance had been wiped off and a surplus of .£827 created. success attended the undertaking until the balancrsiwet of March 3kst, 1918, was brought down, when a deficiency of .SHOO wao shown. If Hutt was to count up its annual .profits lor the years it. had supplies of gas from Petone they would compare more than favourably with those of Petono. He denied' having paid Hint Petone had iaado .£298" from 1913 till 1918, as staled by Mr Kishworth. Mr McEwan added that it would ho ft grave mistake on the part of Pctone to part with any share of its interests in the gasworks. It was decided to refer the matter of tendering for the conveyance of mails from th? Petone post office to the railiViiv station to the 'bus manager to deal with. The Automobile Club d'-w the Council's attention to the unsatisfactory condition of the Hutt road and a-shod that seme improvements he made. —Tin matter was referred to the borough engineer.