ELECTRIC POWER
COUNCIL AND EXPANSION LEAGUE. In moving the adoption of the report of the Electric Power and Lighting Committee at the meeting of the City Council last week, Cr Shaddock referred to the liiii-.oiraitce ol tne ciu..ses relating to the proposed Electric Power Board under the scheme of the Otago Expansion League. Cr Shaddock said that the league was trying to push on the use of electric energy in Otago. It appeared to him that for some years at any rate, the only body that would be in a position to supply electric energy would be tile council, through Waipori. The league was desirous of setting up an Electric Power Board as soon as possible, cud the idea the league had was that immediately the board was set up it should be in a position to supply electric power to certain parts of Otago—viz., from the Chain Hills down to Balelutha, including Kaitang-ata, and some distance inland. The question had been put to him whether he thought the council would favour reticulation in these country districts and supply power in bulk to the ElectricPower Board. He had replied that he thought the council would look favourably upon the suggestion, and as the result of conferences between the engineer, the town clerk, and liimself, the recommendations in the report had been made. The department was quite well safeguarded, and if tie ica.gue were successful in setting tip its Electric Power Board, the contracts the council already had outside +he areas mentioned —the City of Dunedin, the Peninsula, and the boroughs of Port Chalmers, West Harbour, St. Hilda, and Green Island—would be taken over by that board, and the council would be reimbursed what the reticulation had cost. Hie question of whether such areas as the Taieri Plain, for example, would be transferred from the council to the board would remain entirely in the hands of the residents of the district themselves. With regard to clause 5 relative to the ensuring that the main transmission linos and the rights under which they had been erected, should in no way be prejudiced, it would be noticed that the council's main transmission line, running mainly through the Taieri County, was safeguarded. They had made it quite clear to the Expansion League’s committee that if they were successful in getting the Taieri, for example, from the city’s area of supply and puffing it under the Power Board, then the rights the City Council had to its main line must remain intact and under control of the electric power and lighting department. The gist of the recommendation was flint if the Power Board were set up the council would sell its reticulation ill the country districts to the board, to be paid for at valuation, .and the council would supply power in bulk to the Kl«ctric Power Board. lie thou; Iff if the arrangement were completed i! shoo'd lie quit' jatisfacio.-y to (be council, and qrom satisfactory to the cnnmry districts that would bo V- plied bv (he Power Board. Cr Douglas seconded the motion. Cr Wib- 11 considered that Iho r- ffieil was treating the Expansion League vmy liberally. Clause 2 did not meet with his
approval, in so far as nothing was said about the inauguration of the league’s own scheme. He moved the addition, after the word ‘’established,” of the words -«nd the prosecution of its particular scheme is in hand,” the clause thus reading:—“That, if and when a Power Board be and the prosecution of its particular scheme is in hand, the City Council undertakes to restrict its area of retail supply to the City of Dunedin, the boroughs of Port Chalmers, West Harbour, St. Hilda, and Green Island, and the Otago Peninsula.” Cr Hayward seconded the amendment., Cr Shackloek said lie saw no necessity for the words, but agreed to accept the addition, and the report was adopted.
Permanent link to this item
https://paperspast.natlib.govt.nz/newspapers/OW19210125.2.18
Bibliographic details
Otago Witness, Issue 3489, 25 January 1921, Page 8
Word Count
648ELECTRIC POWER Otago Witness, Issue 3489, 25 January 1921, Page 8
Using This Item
Allied Press Ltd is the copyright owner for the Otago Witness. You can reproduce in-copyright material from this newspaper for non-commercial use under a Creative Commons New Zealand BY-NC-SA licence. This newspaper is not available for commercial use without the consent of Allied Press Ltd. For advice on reproduction of out-of-copyright material from this newspaper, please refer to the Copyright guide.