OTAGO POWER BOARD.

Otago Witness, Issue 3754, 23 February 1926, Page 83

OTAGO POWER BOARD.

MONTHLY MEETING. The monthly meeting of the Otago Electric Power Board was attended on Tuesday by Messrs Jasper Clark (chairman), A P. Aldridge, H. Driver, P. Briscoe, F. Corson, J. Guest, W. B. Galloway. The reports of the Works and Finance Committees were approved, and correspondence dealt with. The South Otago Hospital Board wrote stating that it reserved the right to discontinue at the end of any yearly period the use of electric light and power supplied by the Power Board. —The letter was leceived, and it was suggested that the Hospital Board should give the Power Board the right to vary the terms of its contract at the end of any year, and if the hospital terminated the contract witnin five years it should reimburse the board the ost of erecting lines, less 3 per cent, depreciation per annum, LAWRENCE EXTENSION. A deputation from the Lawrence Borough Council and the Beaumont and Waitahuna districts waited on the board asking for the inclusion of their districts in the board’s inner area. Mr J. Edie said he considered that the scheme would prove a payable one for both parties. The Beaumont district was a compact and well-settled community, and would amply repay inclusion. He could not see why the board should not extend its boundaries a little and take in the districts concerned. Mr J. K. Simpson (Mayor of Lawrence) said the deputation wanted to assure the bo :-d that it could take over these districts payably. Lawrence had had a scheme of its own, but investigation had proved it to be a costly concern. The borough had come to the conclusion that it must be included in the board’s inner area, and it would like to see the whole district supplied _ with power. In fact, they wanted ail included. Mr Cameron (Waitahuna! said the chairman and Mr Aldridge had visited the district and knew the conditions. They had then recognised that the districts should be included. They wanted to make things quite clear. The idea was to have the whole area included. Mr Winmill (Beaumont) said the residents m his district were most eager, and he w-as sure the Beaumont district v aid not be a drag on tile scheme. About 40 residents bad undertaken to use the power. In answer to a question from the chairman, it was stated that there was little fear of any appreciable opposition to the proposal. After considering the request, the board decided to take these districts into its inner area, including the Beaumont extension. It was also resolved that the district should be entitled to one representative on tile Otago Board.