The Waipawa Mail FRIDAY, JULY 24, 1936. PASSING NOTES.

Waipawa Mail, Volume LXIII, Issue 84, 24 July 1936, Page 2

The Waipawa Mail FRIDAY, JULY 24, 1936. PASSING NOTES.

POWER BOARD TRADING. At the last meeting of the Central ei H.B. Power Board it was decided, 1 following a suggestion by a consumer, P to instruct the secretary to prepare a ‘ report on the question of the Board entering into competition with elec- ' trical firms in stocking ranges, radia- f tors, etc., and carrying out the necessary work connected with install- b ing such electrical contrivances. It is 2 to be hoped that the Board will consider very carefully before deciding < to establish a trading branch. There 0 are at present four electrical firms s operating in Waipawa and Waipuku- j rau, employing seven, qualified elec- J; tricians and giving the best possible T service. Competition in this particu- ] lar line of business is keen enough f to prevent consumers being exploited, and this competition will compel the j traders concerned to keep their stocks . abreast of the times. On the other , hand, should the Board decide to j enter the lists it will mean diverting . a considerable portion of the funds to provide the necessary stocks and ] keep them up to date. If the Board t wish effectively to boost the sale of | current let it seriously consider mak- . ing a worth-while reduction in the price charged. Investigation has shown that the so-called reductions 1 made recently were very largely 1 illusory and have certainly not resulted in any marked saving to the average consumer. ELECTRICAL ANOMALY. A suggestion has been made that the nationalisation of the electric power supply of the Dominion is desirable in the interests of the consumers, and for the further reason that it would result in economy of administration. An incident which gives point to the suggestion has arisen between the Central Hawke’s Bay and the Hawke’s Bay Power Boards. Some years ago several settlers whose properties lie within the area controlled by the Hawke’s Bay Board sought to obtain power from the Central body, whose reticulation had been carried to the boundary. As there was no immediate prospect of the northern Board extending the lines in that direction permission was granted to the settlers in question to link up with the Central system. So far so good. Some months ago the old Te Aute Hotel was destroyed by 1 fire and a modern hostelry has arisen from the ashes. The owner desired to instal electric light, but the Hawke’s Bay Board would not extend its line except under a very heavy guarantee, and further than that permission to 3 link up with Central was refused. As t a result the illumination of the hotel is still limited to the humble oil lamp and the modest candle. Surely the Minister has power to step in and deal with his dog-in-the-manger attitude of the Hawke’s Bay Board. ROAD AND RAIL SAFETY. , In considering the future of land transport there is a tendency among public men in most parts of the world to exalt the road at the expense of , the railway, but there is one factor that is often overlooked —the factor of safety. In this there is a marked contrast between the two methods of transport, well illustrated by their record in Britain. Recently an Official Wireless message drew attention to the low accident figures for the year on British railways. The total number of passengers killed last year ,1 was only 13 and this was the result of one accident alone. The number injured in the same period was 408, an i, appreciable reduction compared with the numbers for the past five years. On the other hand, road fatalities for several years past have averaged over a hundred a w r eek, so that on t. this calculation more are killed in one day on the roads of Britain than 3, in one year on the railways. In 1935 it was claimed as an improvement due to better control that the road deaths ~ were 822 fewer than in 1934, with a corresponding reduction in injuries of 12,500. Of the 3517 pedestrians killed on the roads in 1935 no fewer d than 1171 were children under 15 years of age. Against such figures as these the loss of life on the railways in Britain is absolutely insignificant. Proportionately to population and density of traffic the accident ratio of road to rail is much the t. same in every country. Fifty years ago the railway record was by no means so good and the trend of the time has been for the railways to become safer and the roads more dangerous. This is partly due, of - course, to the increase in road traffic beyond the capacity of the road to accommodate it safely', as well as to the improvement in railway technique, , s but the inherent dangers of the road . on account of the variability of the human element are greater. In these circumstances enhanced facilities for ) travel by rail should help to relieve / the stress of traffic on the road and j in this light the development of railear locomotion may prove a real pub- [. lie boon.