HOROWHENUA POWER BOARD.

Otaki Mail, 15 December 1926, Page 3

HOROWHENUA POWER BOARD.

e GENERAL PROGRESS REPORTED. COMPLETION OF FOXTON LINE. The monthly meeting of the Horowhenua Electric Power Board was held on Tuesday. There were present: Messrs Monk (chairman). Kilsbv, Barber, Vincent, Fetherick, Gunning, Mathcsori, Goldsmith (secrotarv) and J. A. Smith (engineer). Leave of absence was granted to Messrs Seifert and Boss.

School Lighting Charges. The Director of Education wrote stating that the minimum monthly charge for electricity would have the effect of penalising sch»ol committees, as school buildings were »u!y used on one or two evenings a month and were closed for six weeks at the end of each year. The Department would ije glad to know whether the Beard would be -prepared to forego the charge as far as school buildings were concerned. The secretary staled that tho Tararua Board's secretary had written to him asking what arrangements this Board had made with the school committees. He had replied stating that the Board had not yet; made any decision as to the minimum charge for schools.

iifhe chairman said that where there were entertainments the committees should pay the minimum charge. It was a hardship that they should have to pay when the schools were closed for so long. To make an alteration in the system of charging, it would be necessary to instal meters. The Board did not want to have too many kinds ef rates. There was already the seaside

I rate. j On the motion of Mr. Gunning, it was resolved that., where no entertainments arc held in the. schools, the seaside rate shall apply. Treasurer's Report. The report of the treasurer (Mir,, Goldsmith) was us under: — Accounts. —Payments made since the last meeting of the Beard amounted to £O9O Ts 3d, the principal items being wages, £112; salaries, £2-13; and third progress payment to the contractor for the erection of the foreman's cottage, £250. On the pay-roll for the day there are accounts to be passed amounting to £4783. The chief payment is the sum of £2,200 plus exchange, to the iA.M.P. Society for six months' interest, payable in Sydney. This interest is in respect to the £BO,OOO loan, and as a matter of fact the bank draft has ahseady been foswarded t 8 the Society in Sydney, so as to be in readiness for payment on. v duc date, viz., the 21st December. The yearly sinking fund on this loan is also payable at an early date, the amount being £BOO. Whc-n paid this will be the fourth yearly sum of £SOO paid over to the. Public Trust Office for the sinking fund aeeoant, The»e is also a payment for about 10 tons of bare wire, the cost of which, with a few insulators, aecownts fw £916. The installations put in for consumers comes to about £250. These form the principal items to be passed, and the balance is made up ef payments for various goods and eoMnris-

si»ns. Receipts.—Since the last meeting of the Board tho receipts for electricity and meter rents have amounted to £2153; other receipts for installations, ranges, water-heaters, etc., amount to over £IOOO, and the total takings since last meeting come to £3171. Prom the following it will be seen that from all sources there has been collected from the Ist April to date the sum of £33.53-1: Ist April to last meeting. Since Electricity and

Grand total £33,334 S A Large outlay od installations.—The people of the Board's district have" installed electrical appliances, through tke Board, to the extent, approximately, of £55,00.0. Q£ this sum £30,080 has been repaid to the Board. No pay, no light.—During the month several notices were sent out to discontinue the supply ualess the arrears for electricity were paid up. In these cases fey far the largest percentage find means to pay up, and for the past month no one was actually cut off. The absent-minded. —Rc'cently attention has been given to some install.a.tisn accounts which are oveTd.uS- •« certain number of do not trouble much »7 0ut thGir j iabmtieS &jm*** to their installations, and "iter the holidays it will be necessary iu some instances to let an outside authority convince tfi"em tlrat where, liabilities are incurred they must also be m'et, * '_- . The report was adopted, and the' ae«ounts passed for paywent.

Trie Board's Debto.rs. 33ia chairman said the pay-'shelt appeared a heavy one, but this was attributable to the payment of interest and sinking fund, and to the -purchase of a ec*siderable amount of bare wire. Tho chairman called attention te the 'treasurer's remarks about those who were" getting a little behind wiSi their payments, principally for earrent. This meant tha't the Board would have •to take the matter up. Tho Boatd did not wish to cut anybody of! it it could be avoided; but. this would b'ee'ome necessary if payment was net raa'de in due course. In some «ase* consumers whose payments were overdue did not even trouble t-o reply te tfis reminders' that were sent to "them. Trfs Board would have to take drastic "action in such cases. The chairman traded tia't, considering the times, the revinse collected was keeping up very well.

meter rents 21270 17 i> 2152 17 3 Penalties 75 8 9 12 6 0 Ranges, motors. water-heat-ers, etc. 2377 16 7 231 3 3 Interest .. 444 0 5 18 2 10 Installation and service line* 5982 10 S 716 11 C Cottage rents, ete 203 11 4 23 0 3 -Totals £-30,360 -1 11 £317-1 3 5