ELECTRIC POWER

Poverty Bay Herald, Volume LXIV, Issue 19313, 1 May 1937, Page 15

ELECTRIC POWER

POVERTY BAY BOARD

MONTHLY MEETING HELD

ACCOUNTS’ ESTIMATES

Consideration of accounts for the past financial year, and estimates for 1937-38, provided the principal items of husiness which awaited attention at the monthly meeting of the Poverty Bay Electric-Power Board, to-day.' Thoso present wero Messrs. F. It. Ball, chairman, 11. It. Bo Costa, G. Matthews, A. A. Fraser, C. W. Izod, S. 11. Phillips, .T. Tombleson, M. T. Trafford, R. P. Baigont, managingsecretary, and F. W. Matthewson, engineer to the board. ° The Post and Telegraph Department wrote ashing the board to reduce the current charges for telephone booth lighting.—The matter was held over for consideration later. An acknowledgment of a donation to its ‘f finds was received from the Winter Show Association.—-The letter was received. Street Lighting On the subject of street lighting in Gladstone road, and Peel street, the Gisborne Borough Council asked the board to recommend the best means of improving the present installation. —The chairman remarked that the capital cost of the installation favoured, by the engineer was £I2OO, and the annual charge would Im £■>(>, as against the present contribution from the borough Council of £3S odd per annum. . .. . . Mr. Matthewson mentioned that lie would like time to investigate results with a newer system now under consideration elsewhere. He understood that efty authorities were adopting the svstem of lighting from the sides of the strets, throwing tho illumination on the traffic lanes rather than on the centre of the streets. On the motion of the chairman, tho matter was referred to the finance committee. Charges on Farm Motors A protest against the levying of a horse-power charge on farm motors was received from the Farmers Union, the letter pointing out that other forms of power units had been serapped to make way for the electric motors, and that no forecast of a horse-power charge had been given at a time when it'might have affected the decision of consumers—The secretary stated taht the farmers a patently held that an undertaking had been given that no horse-power charge would be made. Mr. Izod held that farmers were obliged to accept chaugos of tariff with everyone else. The chairman stated that so far as ho could say, there had been a lnimmum charge per horse-power trom the outset. , A “One farmer told mo that the charge would cost him £•> per hundred shop for shearing,” said Mr. Be Costa. . , In replv to Mr. Phillips, the secretary stated that the fixed charge per horse-power was general, and was levied for service. The board had to secure a reasonable revenue from its investment. „„ , On the.motion of Mr. Trafford, the matter was referred, after further discussion, to the finance committee tor consideration, the chairman commenting that the case quoted by Mr. Do Costa must be exceptional. , Mr. Be Costa: I only stated what had been told to me. The engineer said that shearing motors Tinged in power from 2 to 3 h.p., some few going up to 9 h.p. Mr. Tombleson stated that Ins sheaiing motor was of 3 h.p,, on which the fixed ‘charge under the new tariff would bo £2 Bs. , ~ The matter whs not further discussed) , The Valuation Department forwarded its assessment on the board s property in Peel street, the unimproved value having been reduced from £1950 to £IO7O. —The chairman remnrkoU that it would not be necessary to lodge an objetcion to the valuation on behalf of the board. The finance committee reeovpmended the board to accede to the actingprime Minister’s suggestion that May 12, Coronation Bay, should be observed as a paid holiday.