WELCOMED

Stratford Evening Post, Issue 78, 28 June 1928, Page 5

WELCOMED

FULL INVESTIGATION. POWER BOARD'S AFFAIRS. CHAIRMAN'S LETTER TO MIN- ( ISTER. 11l connection with the representations made to the Minister of Public Works on behalf of the Ratepayers' Association regarding the Power Board, the chairman of the Board has addressed the following letter to the Minister: A report of the deputation to you from Ratepayers' Association of the Taranaki Electric Power Board's district appears in the local papers of 19th and 20th of June. "The statements made by the chairman of that Association are similar to those made by him at a meeting held in Stratford in January last, and are equally incorrect and misleading. A full newspaper report of this meeting together with the Board's reply was forwarded to the Electrical Department, Wellington, and is no doubt on file there. BALANCE SHEETS AVAILABLE.

Balance sheets up to March, 1927, have now been returned from the Audit Department and are available for inspection by ratepayers at the Board's office. ' The fact that the audit inspector in charge of the Taranaki District gave his personal attention during the major portion of the audit would indicate a thorough investigation of the accounts, and that any irregularity would not be overlooked. Copies of all balance sheets which do disclose the financial position and operations of the Board are no doubt available to your offices in Wellington. Regarding the request for an inspection by an officer of the Public Works Department. The Board welcomes any investigation and would urge that an officer be sent at as early a date as possible, recognising a report from the Department will do more to silence the misleading and incorrect statements now being constantly circulated, than any reply from the Board would do.

SUPPLY OP POWER. With reference to the supply. of power to New Plymouth. We are now supplying them under a twelve months' agreement, and are in negotiation for a five-year contract. These negotiations will not be made any easier by the ill-adyised interference of the Ratepayers' Association seeking through Government action to dictate to the New Plymouth authorities. AVAILABILITY RATE. The operation of the Availability Rate during the last year brought such a large increase in the number o f consumers as compared with the previous year that the Board considers that method of rating more than justified, and is again this year striking that rate. The increase last year with the Availability Rate as against the previous year without a rate shows:

Lighting & beat 1179 116 1441 262 With a general rate there is no inducement to take power and it would probably be struck for. many yaers. The availability rate does induce ratepayers to become consumers, giving them the right to take power, free to the amount of their rate. They thus increase the revenue from the sale of electrical energy and by so doing help more quickly to Place the undertaking on a payable basis.

* f Without With rate, rate, 1926-7 1927-8 Tl. No. In. Tl.No.In. Milking motors 216 71 391 175 Other motors 40 8 115 75 Shed water heaters 86 53 217 131 Domestic heaters 43 19 116 73 Cookers 46 12 96 50