CONTROL BY STATE

Poverty Bay Herald, Volume LXIII, Issue 19132, 29 September 1936, Page 9

CONTROL BY STATE

SUPPLY OF ELECTRICITY SCHEME IN SOUTHLAND ; VOTE BY RATEPAYERS (Pur Press Association.) INVERCARGILL, last night. The control of the electric power supply iu Southland will, in future, be vested in the Government. A postal referendum among the ratepayers extending over some three weeks, and completed to-day, resulted in an overwhelming majority in favour of State control as against the retention of the scheme by, the present authority, the Southland Electric Power Board. The polling resulted as follows: — For State control .. . . 7DDB For control by the board . . 2748 Informal .. .. .. 082 The reason for the high percentage of informal votes is stated to be that the papers were not signed on a special space provided for that purpose. Mlicit interest was taken in the ballot, but because il was spread over a long period and was conducted Inpost, it did not produce the enthusiasm ihat might have marked a campaign ended by personal visits to the polling bool It on one day. The Minister of Finance, the lion. W. Nash, in a telephone interview 10night, congratulated the ratepayers of Southland on the result; of the referendum. It was evident, he said, that rhe advantages that would accrue to Southland had been recognised. The government, would take immediate steps to give effect to its policy, as placed berore tlie ratepayers. The chairman of tlie Southland Electric Power Board, Mr. J. T. Carswell, said that, in his opinion, the Government. had received a wonderful bargain in securing Southland’s electrical undertaking with its annual gross revenue of £116,000 for the mere taking over of the board’s liabilities. The scheme had reached paying point and the land rate which "loaded the dice" against the board was , occasioned solely by the high rate of the sinking fund, 4.1 per cent.