CHARGES FOR POWER

Taranaki Daily News, 6 November 1934, Page 9

CHARGES FOR POWER

POSITION AT NEW PLYMOUTH. COMPARISON WITH OTHER TOWNS.. Electricity and electricity charges figured prominently in the reports tabled at the meeting of the New Plymouth Borough Council last night, at which all councillors were present. The Fitzroy Ratepayers’ Association will be informed that there will be no reduction of charges for electrical current supplied for lighting, the electric committee will meet representatives of the Federation of Taranaki Co-operative Dairy Factories ’to discuss with it power charges and the North Taranaki executive of the Farmers’ Union will receive a copy of the engineer’s report on comparative charges, in reply to a request for a reduction in the price of power used on farms or an increase in the efficiency of heating appliances. If the union desired any further information it was invited to interview the engineer; whose report stated that the council’s present charge of 2d per unit for millring motors was one of the lowest in the Dominion. A comparative statement of electricity charges made by the Nev(r Plymouth council and the Taranaki Power Board was also submitted which showed that the New Plymouth fates were in every division lower than those of the Taranaki board, and never higher. In response to a request by a ratepayer an account of the current supplied for lighting and heating purposes and the profit made in each division will be supplied at the next council meeting. Another report submitted to the council following a newspaper article and representations from the Retailers’ Association concerning Devon Street shop lighting, gave details of New Plymouth’s community lighting system compared with that of other Dominion centres.

The community lighting system, stated Mr. W. H. Huggett, electrical engineer, had been installed at a cost of £1 10s a light, which was paid for by the consumer, the monthly charge being fixed at 5s a light of 200' candle power. This charge included maintenance, lamp renewals and cleaning. The system originally included 320 lights, 130 of which had since been taken out of use at . the. request of the consumer. The hours of burning were from dusk to 11 p.m. on week days and 10 p.m. on Sundays, the, cost being approximately 4d a unit. New Plymouth and .Palmerston North were on the same nominal scale of charges of £3 per year, but the Palmerston North charge was to be reduced. Christchurch, Hutt Valley and Gisborne were higher and Wanganui, Nelson and Timaru lower, but with maintenance an additional charge. At Hamilton the installation was made as supplementary to street lighting.