POWER BOARDS.

Otago Witness, Issue 3804, 8 February 1927, Page 50

POWER BOARDS.

CONFERENCE OF SECRETARIES. WELLINGTON, February 3. lhe annual conference of secretaries and executive officers of power boards was opened this morning, Mr Campbell (Invercargill), the president, addressing the conference. A A- Nash, M.P., president of the 1 ower Boards’ Association, referred to the matters arising from the presidential report; . Two of special interest were advertising and insurance. In his opinion they must carry on an extensive advertising campaign. He hoped that the special committee set up would have a scheme ready at an early date. The President, in his report, also summed up the position as far as the conference was concerned when he said: “Our common interest is to discover, first, the means of greater efficiency; secondly, the methods of securing more business; thirdly, by the systems under which eecromies can be effected; and fourthly, generally to promote the development and progress of the functions which the power boards were constituted to perform.” “The Government is always prepared to receive suggestions from power boards, and is willing to act on them if thought desirable,” said Mr F, M. Kissell, chief electrical engineer to the Public Works Department. The department, he proceeded, was perfectly willing to confer with power supply authorities in the stimulation of the electrical industry, and was willing to assist in the publicity campaign suggested by the boards to give cheaper rates for electricity. It was necessary to know exactly what the demand would be, so it was up to the. boards to -supply all the necessary information.

Addresses were also given by .Mr Waters, chief engineer to the ManawatuOroua Power Board, who proposed a’ scheme of advertising, and by Mr Malcolm Fraser, Government Statistician, on the value of statistical ..information. This afternoon the matters dealt with were mainly of an administrative nature. A motion was passed urging that the Government Publicity Department take steps to prepare and distribute abroad suitable literature in order to let the world know the Dominion had an abundance of “iectricity for the farmer, the merchant,, the manufacturer, and the home. The matter of preparing a film depicting the features of electricial development in New Zeaalnd was referred to the Publicity Department. Some time was devoted to a discussion of the comparative systems followed by the boards in matters of insurance, in view of the fact that the amount pi.d annually in this connection was a a ery large sum. The chairman remarked chat the boards had a common interest in insurance from the point, of view of protection and cost, and therefore should satisfy themselves they were acting on the right lines. The question arose, should a board carry any’ of its own insurance, or should it begin to set aside an annual sum to form the nucleus of an insurance- fund? The conference considered the boards could secure a reduction of expenditure in this connection by pooling their insur-, ances, and it was decided to recommend the suggestion to the Power Boards’ Association.. .. ... , .. The delegates were the guests of the Manawatu.-Oroua Power Board this evening at a smoke concert.

DELIBERATIONS CONCLUDED. PALMERSTON N., February 4. The Power 'Board secretaries . resumeo their conference this morning, when a paper was read by Mr Owen, accountant to the Christchurch municipal electricity department, on the subject of the depreciation of reserves and sinking funds. Fol; lowing a general discussion, in which was stressed the necessity of uniformity of action on the part of the different power board, it was decided to recommend the executive of the Power Boards’ Association to consider, in conjunction with Mr F. M. Kissell. chief electrical engineer to tho Public Works Department, before the noxt conference of the association the advisability of all boards providing for depreciation and renewal accounts, and. it possible, a uniform system. .The conference concluded in the afternoon. The election of the executive resulted as follows :—Messrs Campbell (Invercargill), chairman; Dash (Titnaru). Brown (Wairarapa), M'Arthur (Te Awamutu), Speer (Auckland), Smith (Wanganui), and Eglintpn (Palmerston North). The remits carried included one dealing with guarantees for the consumption oi current. It was recommended that such guarantee should be a charge upon land for the purpose of security. The. conference also recommended the establishment of arrangements for combined buying by the boards to secure the most advantageous scale of discounts. \ - It was decided that the next conference be held in. Wellington in February, 1928. The Chairman (Mr Campbell) brought up the possibility of securing simplicity ot meter reading and billing. He announced that his board was introducing a scheme which would considerably reduce the cost oi reading. It would also mean fewer bills for ' the consumer, and would give the board a steady inflow of revenue, allowing a discount system for advanced payments, and would cut down the'amount outstanding at each March: .31 He added that he ' hoped to report favourably on its working at the next conference. The scheme would mean a minimum saving of £lOOO per annum in wages alone. In view of the general public opposition 13 the. countryside being disfigured witfi advertising hoardings, the conference condemned the suggestion that advertising be allowed on electrical poles. It approved the tise of electrical road signs, especially for night use.