POWER FOR SILVERDALE

Sun (Auckland), Volume IV, Issue 963, 5 May 1930, Page 10

POWER FOR SILVERDALE

FURTHER SURVEY TO BE MADE GOVERNMENT AID NEEDED ' A further canvass of the Silver-dale district by officials of the board, in conjunction with a committee set up by the settlers, was decided on at a meeting of the Waitemata ElectricPower Board this morning. A previous visit liad shown returns under which it was considered that the capital outlay required would be too large to allow- a reasonable working profit to be shown. Following complaints by Silverdale settlers regarding the manner in which the former survey had been carried out, three members of the hoard, headed by Mr. S. E. Ivennings, attended a meeting at Silverdale at which the complaints were elaborated. It xvas agreed that a committee of settlers would assist the board in making a full canvass of the district, only farms along the main route and in the township itself having been included formerly. “The figures shown in our first survey are very far from the amount required,” said Mr. \V. B. Harlow. He asked the engineer if he considered it likely that the further guarantee required would be forthcoming, bejng assured that it was unlikely, on the figures already secured, that any appreciable Increase would be possible, Mr. Harlow considered that no further expenditure should be made. MAY MAKE A DIFFERENCE Mr. A. E. Greenslade pointed out that an alternative route had not vet been canvassed, and that this might make all the difference. Tile settlers themselves must determine whether they were prepared to pay for the benefits of reticulation, as the board’s policy was one of no loss on extensions. He considered that Government help might be needed to carry the power through this district. That it is the duty of the board to explore every avenue by which the scheme could be carried out, without financial loss, was the view of Mr. Miles E. Thompson, and other speakers agreed that it was their duty to make full investigations. A remit proposing a scheme whereby the reticulation of similar, districts could be carried out was forwarded to the next conference of electric-power boards by the general purposes committee, which met on Monday last. The remit suggests that, in order to make it possible to extend electrical service to those engaged in and connected with agricultural pursuits in less densely populated districts, where otherwise such service would not be financially feasible, the Electric-Power Boards Act be amended to provide for Government assistance being given in the form of a grant-in-aid up to a maximum amount of 50 per cent, of the capital cost of lines and secondary equipment. The Government assistance would apply only to the initial capital investment. Each power board would then be called upon to pay not only its cost of operation, maintenance, and administration of these lines, but also the interest and sinkingfund on the board’s own capital contribution to the cost of these lines.