POWER BOARD.

Timaru Herald, Volume XCVIII, Issue 18084, 11 June 1924, Page 11

POWER BOARD.

YESTERDAY'S. MEETING

IMPORTANT BUSINESS DISCUSSED.

\ meeting of the South Canterbury Power Board was held in Timaru yes terday. Present.—Messrs D. Kennedy (chairman),: C.. E. Kerr, K I. l'i-e > G. J. Wallace,' J..-R. Bruce, J; South, J. Anstev, W'. :E. Mills-, and C. JTalbot The Board’s consulting engineer (Mr J. R. Templin), was aso present. CHAIRMAN’S STATEMENT. Tlie chairman saul that in accotdance wuh instructions he had interviewed the Levels and Waimate County Councils, and the Timaru Borough Council, relative to payment of rates, ami ,Mr J, C. Talbot, .kifidly placed 'the 'matter ' before the - Mackenzie County Council. ..jWith the exception of the Timaru Boi'tnigli Council, au tha local bodies agreed..to at once pay the amount of the fate. -AhA A Waimate County Council, in forwarding its cheque ...deducted£ 12 Is 3d on account of expenses "prior To the formation ot the Board, and £B2 14s (kl cost of the election of members. This matter had been submitted to tlie Association s solicitor, who replied that the County Council ponld ,not( enforce its, claim in either case. Further than the legal aspect, it was agreed, at a meeting of tlie provisional committee held in r Ji- 1 nia.ru on April C, 1921, at which I ho Waimate 'County Council -was represented, that the local bodies should j bear the expanses preliminary, to the.,I formation of the Board. ■So far the Board had not been advised oi the issue’of the Order-in-Coun-cil and license. The consent of rhe Govefnor-in-CoimciT to tho rinsing ot the loan was also overdue. As no cb jectiorl had • beeri i received; to either, the issue might be expected in due course. Mr Fitch and the manager had waited upon the Waimate Borough Council, and explained the proposals for supplying ‘"Waimate with current, and the Council had recommended that a poll bo taken. A EXECUTIVE; COMMITTEES ‘ report: The Executive Committee reported as follows: Street lighting.—The Temuka and Geraldine . Boroughs and the Geraldine County Council had beenwrittfcurto, asking for particulars as to street lighting. required. The,-. Temuka Borough.. Council had decidedyfco qfect 84.Tatups/ wlnfch was slightly'••Jn. (excess, 5 of the engineer’s estimate, ■ '*• **’ 1 ' ’ Tenders had been called for poles, insulators, wire and cable, transformers, and .-accessories, iron work,' crossarms, street"lamps, and materials.

Pareora Freezing Works.—The Company’s manager had been interviewed and a satisfactory, reply,received. - Debentures.^-Thq"' committee • recommended that'dobe’nfurek ill connection' with tho Goraldine-Temuka loan, in. denominations of £SO, £IOO, £SOO, and £IOOO, up to a value of £70,000, be printed, and £20,000 worth offered fer sale. The matter- of.,.securing .an advance from the Board’s bankers by tho hypothication of debentures was si ill under consideration, and a definite reply-could not be obtained until the issue of the Order-in-Council, and consent to raise the loan, was gazetted. The committee did not - anticipate any difficulty in obtaining tho advance. If granted, tho rate of interest would be 0£ per cent, and debentures to the value of £50,000 would require ;to be lodged with the bank. .It would be necessary to obtain the consent of the Finance Minister to the • payment of this rate of interest. Accounts amounting . to £192 11s Id had been checked and were recommended for payment. The report was adopted. POWER FOR WAIMATE.

On the motion of- Mr Fitch, seconded by the chairman, a resolution was passed by which the Board agreed to raise a loan of £40,000 - for supplying Waimate Borough with power. Mr Fitch explained the position in regard to power for Waimate Borough, and said that Waimate certainly warxter power and light, and should be given an opportunity to vote on a loan for this purpose. .-•••'

Tho motion was carried,-Messrs Kerr and Bruce dissenting. Mr Kerr inquired what assurance Waimate had that it would get power if it carried the proposed loan?- ; The chairman said there would.fco ample power out of that promised lor South Canterbury by the-Public Works Department. Mr Anstev added -that the-Bqa'rd,lad a definite contract- with-- the “Department for' sufficient power'fov.hoth -Ger-.-aidine 'and 5 Waimatfi;■'.Safid - if . they did not take wliat the;' Department had contracted to supply .them witjil—--1500 h.p.-tyit ‘would not' be hold Ur them indefinitely. . . ■ Mr Kerr said the fact ■ remained that the power could net, be obtained with any degree of stability -■ ' TENDERS. ‘‘W: Tenders s for wire and cable were accepted as ; follows: —Bare wire. S Brown, £5161 Is lid; triple braided, Richardson McCabe, £2327 13s 6d; insulated, Richardson McCabe, £138(1 18s. . GENERAL. The "Waimate County Council advised that Air W. Harman had been appointed as its representative on the Board, Xu place of All- T. L. Hart. A letter was received 'from the Canterbury. Frozen Aleat Company in ~onnectiou with the supply of power to the Company’s Pareora, works-. - 11 power were available in the early months of next year the Company would tyke 150 to 200 k.w. ; the balance they would not lie able to make full use' of until the season following, the full quantity of current required being -100 k.w. A form of debenture and coupon lor the Geraldine-Temuka loan was approved.

It was decided to forward to ihe \\ inmate County Council a copy ( i a letter from Air T. F. Alartin (soli’itor oi the Aluim-ipal Association), slating that me Council cannot legi ■ '‘'-’duct from its rate payable mi Me Board tlie items which it has so fin kept back, these being for < x peases prior to the formation of fj e Board. .

ectl lha > applications he called for the position of inspector. tainasser, at asalaryof £6 per week.