BACKBLOCKS RETICULATION

Bay of Plenty Beacon, Volume 9, Issue 33, 18 December 1945, Page 2

BACKBLOCKS RETICULATION

NEEDS OF THE EAST COAST MR W. SULLIVAN'S REMARKS "I want to commend the Minister for bringing this legislation forward. I will do what 1 can to help him, but 1 will agitate until i get that power into the East Coast area and the Motu and Matawai districts" said Mr W. Sullivan (National Bay of Plenty) when speaking on the Electricity Bill which provides for the setting up of a separate hydroelectric. department and assistance to sparsely populated areas in the rciculation of power. It was right that the people in the baekblocks should be given electricity because through their etV J'orts other people had enjoyed electricity. Mr Sullivan recalled that lie had previously criticised the Government for not doing enough to provide electrical supply throughout the Dominion. '"The Minister quoted some one as. saying that 93 per cent of New Zealand's farmers have electricity. 1 can assure the Minister that the remaining 7 per cent are on the Fast on the north .side of Gisborne and around that area," he said. Some power boards had been looking for profits rather than thinking of giving service to the people. On the East Coast area above Gisborne there were 8000 people without electrici power—Pakcha and Maori. There was a small scheme at Tolaga Bay run by the Uawa County Council and the householders in that township were paying 1/6 a unit for their light. It was impossible to develop those areas and keep the people in them unless they got some of the amenities and conveniences that existed in the larger centres. The fact that the people in the retf mote areas bad done what they had done for the city areas should entitle them to some consideration from the latter. "I put in a plea, therefore that one of the first areas dealt with under the proposed scheme should be the East Coast from Gisborne to Ruatoria " he said. "Then there is the Motu and Matawai district with the thriving, township of Matawai whichi deserves modern amenities and there is no doubt that power could be supplied to those places quite economically. The value of the production from the East Coast is about £1,000,000 a year towards our exports. That indicates I think that we should •9 9 make every effort to give these people electrical power."