POWER BOARDS

Southland Times, Issue 20097, 7 February 1927, Page 6

POWER BOARDS

SECRETARY’S CONFERENCE. CONCLUDES. ELECTION OF OFFICERS. (Per United Press Association.) Palmerston North, February 4. The power Board secretaries resumed the conference this morning when a paper was read by Mr Own, accountant of the Christchurch Municipal Electricity Department on the subject of depreciation, reserves and sinking fund. Following a general discussion in which was stressed the necessity for uniformity of action on the part of different Power Boards, it was decided* to recommend the executive of the Power Boards’ Association to consider in conjunction with Mr Kissell, chief electrical engineer of the Public Works Department before the next conference of the association, the advisability of all boards providing depreciation renewal accounts and if possible a uniform system. The conference concluded in the afternoon. The election of officers resulted:—Executive.—Messrs Campbell (Invercargill) chairman; Dash (Timaru), Brown (Wairarapa), McArthur (Te Awamutu), Speer (Auckland), Smith (Wanganui), Eglinton (Palmerston North). The remits carried include one dealing with guarantees for the consumption of current. It was recommended that such guarantee shall be a charge upon land for the purpose of security. The conference also recommended establishing arrangements for combined buying by boards to secure the most advantageous scale of discounts. It was decided that the next conference be held in Wellington in Februarv. 1928. The chairman, Mr Campbell, brought up the possibility of securing simplicity meter reading and billing. He announced that his board was introducing a scheme which would considerably reduce the cost of reading. It would also mean fewer bills for the consumer and give the board a steady inflow of revenue, allow a discount system for ad vanced payments and cut down the amount outstanding 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 £IQOO per annum in wage* alone. In view of the general public opposition to the countryside being disfigured with advertisement hoardings, the conference condemned a suggestion that advertising be allowed on electrical poles and approved the use of electrical road signs, especially for night use.