BAD DEBTS

Sun (Auckland), Volume III, Issue 639, 16 April 1929, Page 7

BAD DEBTS

POWER BOARD WRITES OFF £1,878 1,400 NON-PAYERS Overdue accounts that cannot bo collected by the Auckland ElectricPower Board range from Id to £B4. At yesterday’.s meeting of the board it was decided to write off bad debts totalling £1,878. About 1.400 con sumers were concerned, of whom 1,250 had disappeared, leaving no address. A special report was submitted by the general manager, Mr. R. H. Banley. who said the proportion of bad debts was very small in comparison with the total value of sales of current. The list of debtors was divided into three schedules. One dealt with assigned and bankrupt estates and involved £(>s3, another with estates of deceased persons, involving £24. and a third with consumers of whom trace had been lost, involving £1.200. The amount to be wrritten off was almost double 'that of last year, due to the depression in the city. The outstanding debts had been placed in the hands of debt collectors, and the list now* before the board was that recommended by the collectors to be written off. The amount to be written off was .33 per cent, of the value of current sales for the year ended December 31. This was an increase of .141 per cent, compared with the year ended March 31, 1928. The total amount outstanding at December 31 last was £44,413, and of this £32,719 had been collected during the current March quarter. The sum of £1,878 was recommended to be written off. leaving £9.815 to be carried forward for collection during the coming year. The chairman. Mr. \V. J. Holdsworth, said it did not follow because the amount was to be written off that, it w r as irrecoverable. If persons whose debts had been w-ritten off applied to be connected again the board could press for settlement of old accounts. Sometimes, however, these people came back under new names. ’Then we find that our new customers are really old friends,” said the chairman. There were some very bad cases, but the board made it as easy as possible for defaulting consumers who wer» known to be in financial trouble. It w T as mentioned that accounts were outstanding from three picture shows, while persons well known in the city also would not. or could not. pay their bills.