POLICY UPHELD

Timaru Herald, Volume CXXV, Issue 18613, 8 July 1930, Page 8

POLICY UPHELD

SUPPORT FOR POWER BOARD. MACKENZIE COUNTY COUNCIL’S ATTITUDE. The agitation by the Waimate Borough Council for an inquiry into the accounts of the South Canterbury Power Board was the subject of a short discussion at yesterday’s meeting of the Mackenzie County Council. A letter was received from the Town Clerk of Waimate, asking for the Council’s support in such an action. A letter was received also from Mr J. Kennedy, chairman of the Power Board, in which he outlined the Board’s policy, and their opposition to the attitude adopted by Waimate. The chairman (Mr C. J. Talbot) said that the matter had cropped up as a result of the Power Board’s desire to raise more money to carry out further works. The proposition put to the Local Loans Board was that the Power Board be given authority to raise ten per cent, of their existing loans—approximately £30,000. The Loans Board not only approved of the raising of £30,000, but advised the Board to apply for sufficient money to carry out works for years to come. An expert was sent down to investigate, and steps were taken to obtain authority to raise the whole amount. When the bodies concerned had been circularised, the Waimate County considered that, in their allocations they had sufficient capital to obviate the necessity for raising further money. Plant and stock came into the question, however, and it had been pointed out to Waimate that although they subscribed to the new Timaru offices, they were still liable to participate in the raising of the new loans. It should be understood that the Power Board, unlike County Councils, had no riding accounts, the balance sheet showing their operations as a whole. “To ask for an inspection of the balance sheet, appears to me a vote of no confidence in the Power Board. I recommend that we receive the letters, and express approval of the Board’s policy, and appreciation of what they are doing,” he said. Mr G. Murray said that the Power Board had an engineer to look after their interests, and it was unlikely that he would recommend anything that was not to the best advantage of the bodies concerned. When the Power Board was first formed, they had to take notice of the electrical experts, and they should take notice of them now.

Mr A. F. Campbell: “We should not be drawn into any quarrel between the Waimate Borough Council and the Power Board. We should stand out of it, and let them fight it out themselves.”

T..e chairman: “Mr Murray has suggested that we should endorse the Board’s policy.” Mr Murray: “Yes, and make the reply strong.” Mr W. T. Smith: “Engineers can quite easily make a mistake. Look at Arapuni.”

Mr Murray proposed, and Mr Campbell seconded, that the Council endorse the Power Board's policy. Mr Smith: “I move an amendment that the correspondence be received.” This was seconded by Mr W. Scott.

The amendment was put and lost, only the mover and seconder voting for it. The motion was then carried unanimously.