Cost of Home Guard Lighting to Board

Taranaki Daily News, 22 March 1943, Page 5

Cost of Home Guard Lighting to Board

The mounting cost of free lighting to the Home Guard at several places in the district was referred to again at the monthly meeting of the South Taranaki Electric Power Board at Hawera, when the executive committee recommended that in future all lighting be paid for, the board to make a cash donation to the funds of the Home Guard. On reports submitted by the engineer, Mr. J. Lythgoe, and ■ the secretary, Mr. W. A. Sharp, the executive was instructed to confer with the Home Guard and to report at the next meeting. At parade grounds used by the Home Guard at Otakeho, Matapu, Skeet Road, Okaiawa and Normanby, lights were provided, two each with poles, wiring and switch box at a cost of £18 per ground, and at Rowe Street, Hawera, there were three bracket type lights at a cost of £9 10s, said Mr. Lythgoe. The cost of all this equipment was about £75 which was treated as on loan, and the'labour cost, for which there was no return and which would recur when the installations were dismantled, was assessed at £30. Power supplied to halls at Normanby, Tokaora, Manutahi, Okaiawa and Manaia and to the winter show buildings at Hawera was metered. but not charged, and, in addition, there were four accounts for two hails. an office and headquarters. The Home Guard had no funds to meet lighting expenses, said Mr. Lythgoe, but the ' ofgahisatibii ' came ' under the corltroi of the army. which had funds to cover such expenditure. Mr. Sharp added to this that for record purposes labour was charged at £111 16s ld for installing the lights, and the £75 in stock would be partly recoverable. Last year £43 2s ld, representing meter charges, was written off. and for six months of the current year to date the writing-off similarly amounted to £21 16s ld.