POWER AND LIGHT.

Otago Daily Times, Issue 18906, 5 July 1923, Page 2

POWER AND LIGHT.

RETICULATING THE TAIERI

PUBLIC AIEETING AT AIO.MONA

THE POWER BOARD PETITION,

A public meeting called by the Alomona branch of tho Otago Expansion League was held in the Alomona Hall on Tuesday night. The chief object of tho meeting was to place before residents of Taien Plain the present situation regarding tho proposed Electric Power Board. The meeting was presided over by Air A. W. Amos (chairman of the Alomona branch), and there were about 70 or 80 men present, including representatives of the Taieri County Council, the Alcsgiel Borough Council, the Mosgiel and North Taieri branches of the Expansion League, the Otago .Expansion League (represented by Messrs W. B. Steel and G. Errington), the Bruce County Council, and Air AI. C. Henderson (city electrical engineer). Air J. Strack was the first speaker, and gave a resume of what has been done during the past year to further the establishment of a Power Board. ■ He urged that every man on the plain should be connected with tho Otago Expansion League, whose object was to help forward the province in every possible way. The branch had worked zealously during the past year for the establishment of an Electric Power Board, and he believed now they were just on (he verge of success. Early in the year they had waited on the Taieri County Council and asked ‘it to rescind a resolution. but they had met with a cold reception. Another delegation later waited on the Bruce County Council asking to be taken in if necessary with its scheme, and there they got a very friendly and favourable reception. Later there was held in Balclutha, a conference of all local bodies except the Taieri County Council, south of the Chain Hills. Their first decisions had to bo recast, and several conferences were held at Milton and Dunedin. A consulting electrical engineer was appointed, and his report on probable cost was a very favourable and encouraging one. They got Waikouaiti and Palmerston town and Waihomo County Council to come in with them, and there was a petition circulating in those districts asking for the formation of an Electric Power Board. Because of the section of the Taieri County Council they were momentarily—only momentarily —excluded from (hat board, and they would have to circumvent the council. The board when constituted would have a right to demand from the Taieri County Council information which, as private citizens, they could not obtain. At first they would be part of the outer area of the proposed board, but later on they could be taken in as part of the inner area. He asked them to give their loyal support to the petition when it was presented to them. They had satisfied themselves that no one could provide for them so satisfactorily as could tho proposed Power Board. The board need not impose rates for the first three years, and by that time the system would be thoroughly established. It was well known that electricity ■ could be supplied to them at a cheaper rate than petrol power. If they were called on to pay a small rale to make up any deficiency, that would be balanced by the saving they were making. He did not for a moment believe, nevertheless, that.a rate would be struck. The board was not going to do anything that other public bodies had not done. They borrowed money to initiate public works, and that was paid back by consumers. Mr Aldridge had assured them that on the basis of the present corporation charge, assuming it to be 5d per unit, that -would meet all the overhead charges that would be. required. He had often felt the lack of enterprise in their public men that they had not lifted a finger to give them power and light, and yet they had given the corporation roads for its use. The corporation desired to concentrate all the profits in Dunedin, but why should they not control those profits for themselves? ' He could not tell them all the many ways in which they would reap benefit from the scheme. He again asked them loyally to support the efforts of their committee and league. Mr A. Aloor© said that during the last few years the City Corporation had left the greater part of the Taieri in the dark. It was men drudging away in the backblocks who most needed the comforts of light and power. The Chairman then invited Air W. Blackie, as representing the Taieri County Council, to stats tho position of the council. Air Blackie said it appeared from Air istrack speech, that they were going to get the reticulation for nothing. He understood that a rate would be struck at the very start. It was not correct that the taien County Council bad given tho Alomona Expansion League a very cool reception. He read letters giving terms of power as offered to be supplied by the City Corporation. He calculated that houses would be supplied at £5 a year, and asked if Air Strack or Air Aldridge could attempt to approach an offer of that soit. It would certainly not he business to turn it down. If the City Council cut. up the roads it paid for them. They had invited Air M. C. Henderson to answer questions as to the position between the Taien County Council and the City Corporation. ♦ said he had never said they would get the scheme for nothing, but that no demands would be made on consumers until the new scheme had been properly and thoroughly installed. If the Taieri County Council was a liberal-minded bodv. why did it withhold the information from the league s engineer? Mr Blackie: Because we did not think it was for your benefit to give the information. — (Cries of “Oh!”) Mr Strack: I ask you. is that a democratic expression?—(Voices. “No!”) Mr T. -Miller (chairman of the Alosgiel branch of the Expansion League) said he was going to hit the Taieri County Council and the Alosgiel Borough Council and ask why they had taken out of the ratepayers’ hands a question that these bodies had no power to decide..—(Applause.) The Act said that before a Power Board could be formed a certain part of the ratepayers had to give their consent. The council had no right to usurp his privileges as a ratepayer.—(“Hear, hoar.”) in the North Island he had been surprised to see the number of Otago men holding leading positions. The trouble was that the place here was not progressive enough to hold these more active spirits. The towns supplied with electric power were in the forefront of (he world. Were they going to ask the people of Waikouaiti and Palmerston to come in and assist them with the flood burden and then refuse to assist them to get electric power on the off-chance that they might have to pay a small rate? The Taieri County Council and Alosgiel Borough Council had had no right to withhold information from them as they had done.—(Applause.) In spite of the pessimists and the men in the rut, Otago’s day was coining, though it might be when Inc good old has-beens were pushing up the daisies. —(Laughter). If there was going to be a risk of a, rate, let them not hesitate. This was going to he a big thing not for Alomona alone but for Otago. Mr Jasper Clark (chairman of the Bruce County Council) remarked that no two counties worked together better than Bruce and Taieri. Nevertheless, ho thought tho Taieri County should have given that information and let it go to the ratepayers. The ratepayers in the Bruce County wore going for Hie power scheme unanimously. Tho Government’s policy was to have big boards and link them up right through the dominion. Air J. Campbell said the consumers were paying lid in the £ on rateable value in Southland, and he did not. see how they were going to get it cheaper hero. Mr A. Aloore. replying, said that ti e Southland scheme had been initiated just when everything was at its dearest, and it had taken in too large an area. They were informed that their scheme for the Taieri was one of the very cheapest. Air A. Moynihan asked if the Power Board was going to purchase the power from the City Corporation, and what the corporation was going to charge the Power Board. Mr -Strack. answering, said the charge would work out at £6 per h.p., with 1 per cent, added for unforeseen contingencies. The corporation, that was to say. would supply it at cost of generating, plus 1 per cent. Mr IV. B. Steel said it would be necessary to go back a little in history, and he explained the genesis of power hoards. They had endeavoured to form one gigantic power board, drawing power from Lake Tlawea, but the proposal was eventually turned down because the population was not yet great enough to justify it. Attention

was then concentrated on the Waipori and Teviot schemes. The Tcviot scheme was now well ahead, and they were coping to have it in December next, and very cheap it would be. Of the big schemes in the dominion, Waipori stood head and shoulders above the rest for cheapness, and there was still abundance of reserve power to supply the coastal belt. The department said at first: it was not prepared to take up too small an area, but said that if the ■ five counties—Clutha, Bruce. Taieri, Waikouaiti. and Waihemo—would link hands to form a, Power Board the Government was prepared to hand over its agreement with the City Council so that the board would get the lowest possible rate of any power board in existence. The policy of the City Corporation had all along been to extend the advantages of electric power in every possible way. They had not got *a better friend than the chairman of the Electric Power and Lighting Committee, Air J. B. Shacklock, and his committee. If and when the Power Board was formed the corporation was prepared to hand over all its reticulation so that they would have the management of these affairs entirely in their own hands. That meant that the city was giving them a gift of £IO.OOO of profitable business to start on. —(Applause.) They bad come to the stage that a petition had been issu?d—these counties asking if they were in favour of establishing a Power Board. It was unfortunate that the information desired from the Taieri County had not been given, but they could not allow the wheels of progress to be stopped, and so they were advised to link up the four other counties and make the Taieri County Council an outer area. That was what they were doing. The great point made by the Taieri County Council was'that it had an excellent agreement with the City Corporation, but the Taieri County agreement passed over automatically to the Power Board.—(A Voice: Question!) Mr Steel said there could be no question about it. The agreement stood no matter which local body held it. Under present conditions the Taieri people were receiving power and light from the City Corporation, biit the corporation was making profit out of it. The Power Board could supply power at the same rate and secure the profit for itself and thus reduce the likelihood of there being any necessity for a rate. There was nothing to block them from supporting a Power Board which could obtain material just as cheaply as could the' corporation. A draft petition sent up on behalf of the ratepayers of Mosgiel and Taieri had now. come hack approved, and they were “getting down (o tin tacks.” They were within reasonable distance of success, and they did not propose to allow anything to stand in the way of the final test — namely, the appeal to the ratepayers. The City Corporation was prepared to hand overall its reticulation south of the Chain. Hills, and in return it would have representation on the hoard, a say in the management, and a share in the profits. He advised them not to be foolish, and lot the chance go past them or they might not get it again. In answer to a question by Mr Moynihan, Mr Steel said that if the Taieri ratepayers elected to become members of the Power Board then the lands within that area became liable for a rate. No local body could borrow without the right behind : t to strike a rate. A member of the audience asked whether some of the farmers at the lower end of the plain were in a position to assist the wealthy farmers about Waikouaiti and Palmerston. He contended that the profits of the .City Corporation were made out of the city and not out of the country districts. Air J. Logan, clerk of (he Taieri County Council, said the council had always been out to make all it could for its own ratepayers. In every fresh installation of power from Waipori the Taieri, ratepayers had the option of claiming ond-fifth of it for a period of 60 days before it was taken up elsewhere TKe Taieri County had not been asleep, and had not let Dunedin have it all its own way.. The oounjty had receive! thousands of pounds as compensation for the use of the roads. Air Miller asked if there was any reason to suppose that the Power Board would not give consumers the same terms as the City Corporation was now giving. Air M. C. Henderson said he had got a lot-of information that evening, but some of the questions asked he could have answered better than they had been answ’ored. He wished to put in a word for what the City Council had done for the Taieri and to : refute some of the statements made about the chairman of the Electric Power and Light Committee and about himself. It had been said they were not acting straight. Air Shacklock had given that a direct denial. He asked if Air Struck would acknowledge he ’was wrong. . Mr Strack made a statement m justification of his attitude. Mr Henderson proceeded to refer to an offer made to the Taieri four- years ago, and rejected, as he said, quite rightly. Another later offer was based on Lake Coleridge charges, and details of this he read. Ho also read a reply by Air Shacklock to charges by Air Strack. It was only when a few weeks ago the Taien County Council officially asked for an offer that tho department quoted them fresh terms. His honest opinion was that the city would do better out of selling to the Power Board than it would in reticulating for the Taieri County Council. Had they realised what the City Council was doing for them in the matter of drainage? No other consumer had such advantageous terms as the Western Taieri Drainage Board, which was getting power at night for one-sixth of a penny without a guarantee. The corporation was out to help them in every possible wav but he explained with reference to occasional shutting off of power that iheus was certain work that could only be done with safety on Sunday morning. He askeci that if anyone had any complaint against his department he would make it then and Strack maintained that the corporation should not have given certain information to the Taieri County while negotiations were going on for the estabnßnm.ent of a Power Board. ■ , Mr Henderson replied that under agreement with the Taieri County Council the corporation was bound to give this information. He declined to .be drawn into a discussion as to the relative merits of tho Power Board and the Taieri County agreemAt'meniber of the audience asked if the scheme could not go on without the Taien Idr Steel explained that it could, and was doing so. The only difference was that the Taieri would be in the outer area. Mr Blackie: “Perhaps!” „ Mr said there wa sno perhaps about it Unless 25 per cent, of the ratepayers signed the petition asking for the Taieri to come m they would be m the outer area. , , . . The Chairman thanked those present for their careful hearing and the visitors for their attendance. It remained now for the ratepayers to say whether hey would sign the petition or not.—(A Voice. We 11 all sign it except the fools: ) A heaity vote of thanks was accorded tho chairman. ..