PATEA

Wanganui Chronicle, Volume 74, Issue 279, 25 November 1931, Page 3

PATEA

BOROUGH COUNCIL’S LOAN ADDITIONAL ELECTRICITY As all matters in connection with the purchase of additional electricity by the Borough Council from the South Taranaki Power Board had been brought to the point where it remained for the ratepayers to decide, a meeting of ratepayers of Patea was called by the Mayor (Mr F. Ramsbottom) for last Monday night, twenty to thirty ratepayers attended the meeting and showed the confidence placed in their Borough Council by a vote in favour of tho taking of the poll on Wednesday. The Mayor placed the position of the council before the ratepayers, stating that an agreement had been come to with the Power Board to take a certain quantity of the power the board was purchasing from the Government. This agreement had been placed on the basis of a loan to be raised by the council to meet the purchasing power. The sanction of the ratepayers was now needed to carry the loan through, and the council looked to them for the confidence in their undertaking. He stated that the change that would be undertaken before the end of this year woul . be forced upon the borough by the Public Works Department within two years, whether the ratepayers voted for the change or against. Almost all the towns in the Dominion were now on the three-phase system, while Patea was still on the single phase. The ratepayers were being asked to sanction the raising of the loan to make this change, and a rate of 5d in the £1 would be levied to meet the payment of the loan. It was anticipated that the ratepayers would not be called on to pay this rate, as it was expected to make the loan payments out of the revenue from the eleetrie department. In respect to ratepayers who would be unable to carry the cost of the rewiring necessary, the council were prepared to pay the cost from the loan, on certain conditions, one being that the work of re-wiring be carried through under the supervision of the borough engineer. To further assist the ratepayer and consumer, it was expected to be able to lower the rate per unit of power used, at the review of tho position at the end of twelve months.

Cr. Christensen endorsed the Mayor’s remarks, stating that it should be clear to the ratepayer that there would be no additional co_t to him other than the re-wiring. He pointed out that it would bo a benefit to all ratepayers to carry the 1c w. He moved that the meeting favour taking the poll on Wtd'nesday. Mr Finlayson seconded the motion, which was carried unanimously. Mr Finlayson stated that during his term of office as Mayor, the principles of the electric light department had been paid down that were being carried through to-day, and he congratulated the council on not having departed from that policy. The council still had control of their own plant and machinery, while purchasing power from the Government, indirectly. Several questions were asked, one being if any of the present plant would be destroyed. The Mayor replied that the only thing that would be destroyed would be the old lamps which would be useless under the new voltage. Many of the ho ses were already wired for the changeover.

Another question was whether there would be any rise in the minimum charge. As Patea was on a three shillings minimum charge, - here most other electric boards were on a four-and-sixpence minimum, the Mayor replied that in spite of this there would be no change in the minimum charge. A rough estimate showed that the average cost of the re-wiring would be thii.r, shillings a point. An outside contractor for the work might do it for lower, but it was not anticipated that the charge would be any higher. To a finsl question, the Mayor stated that if the revenue did not carry the cost of installation of the power, the ratepayers ould be liable to be called on for the rate of 5d at any time, but this would not be probable, in the Borough Council’s opinion. The loan of £3500 would carry the whole cost, it was anticipated. The meeting rose with a vote of thanks to the Mayor for explaining the situa.ion. The poll will bo taken to-day, when it will be . nally shown what confidence is placed in the discretion and manipulation of the borough matters.