HYDRO-ELECTRICITY

New Zealand Times, Volume L, Issue 11433, 1 February 1923, Page 5

HYDRO-ELECTRICITY

HUTT VALLEY LOAN PROPOSAL CARRIED BY LARGE MAJORITY. AUTHORITY FOR £200,000. The ratepayers of the Hutt were yesterday asked to give the Hut Valley Hydro-Electric i>o "" er ecuvfncit) sanction to raise a loan of £2(K),ytai for the reticulation of the district, and the poll showed their approval m no uncertain manner. The Act makes it necessary that a three-fifths majority of the valid votes shall be obtained before the board may carry out its scheme, but wnen the numbers appeared the. loan was carried by over ten to one. For some years past now prominent residents of tile Hutt Valley have been advocating the reticulation or the district, and in August of last year the Upper Hutt Town Board gave the matter their earnest consideration. The outcome of this v>as the setting up of a provisional committee representing the various local bodies of "the district, which includes Lower Hutt, Petone, Eastbourne and the whole of the Hutt County except Whareroa riding. This committee was the foundation of the Hutt Valley Electric Power Board, which at P res " ent controls the whole scheme, and is under the chairmanship of Mr J. W. McEwan, Mayor of Petone. The poll which was taken yesterday was not as heavy as was expected, and out of between 5000 and 6000 ratepayers only 1574 recorded their vote. In every booth excepting Whiteman s Valley there was a large majority :n favour of the proposal. The arrangements for the poll were in the hands of Mr H. E. Lodge, the returning officer, and throughout the day everything went smoothly.. The following are the detailed results :

Polling Booth For Against Upper Hutt — 174 8 Hutt County Office ... 142 ii Western Hutt 10 i Akatarawa * 5 0 K-aitok© •... 1 0 Plimmerton 37 0 Pahautanui 10 2 48 0 10 0 Silverstream 44 5 Lower Hutt 344 62 Whiteman’s Valley ... 3 15 Petone 318 28 Eastbourne 184 1 Taita 56 4 •. Epuni Hamlet 29 0 Mangaroa, 15 0 Totals ....* 1431 137 Informal, 6. Majority over three-fifths of the valid votes*. 480. Actual majority: 1294.