POWER BOARD AREAS.

Press, Volume LXVIII, Issue 20494, 12 March 1932, Page 17

POWER BOARD AREAS.

' NORTH ISLAND MOVE FOR AMALGAMATION. HEATHCOTE COUNCIL PROTEST. Information that a North.. Island deputation was to wait on the Minister for Public Works (the Rt. Hon. J. O. Coates) next week with a view to asking for legislation compelling the amalgamation or absorption of munici-pally-owned electrical undertakings by the adjoining Power Boards was received by tlfe Heathoota County Council at their meeting last evening, in a letter from the Mayor of Palmerston North (Mr A.' E. Mansford). The County Council were asked, to protest against the suggestion of any such legislation. * The letter was as follows: "The Question of Power Board absorption of municipal electrical undertakings is the goal which the Feilding Borough Council and the ManawatuOroua Consumers' Association, in conjunction with the Kiwitea, Oroua, and Pohangina County Councils are working for, and the above-mentioned bodies have arranged an interview with th« Minister for Public Works, as a deputation on Tuesday, March 15th. "I understand that it is the intention of the deputation to ask for legislation compelling the amalgamation or absorption of all municipally-owned electrical undertakings by the adjoining Power Boards. "I think it is hardly necessary ~*~to .point out that should the. deputation receive a favourable hearing, what is now our concern will soon become yours also; and I suggest that . you make representation to the Minister for Public Works, through the member of Parliament for your district, that no legislation on the above matter be considered." '•'l think we should strongly support the protest/' said Cr. C. Flavell. The Council, he said, did not wish to bo absorbed by the North Canterbury Power Board, or the Banks Peninsula Power Board. There was no discussion, and on themotion of Mr Flavell, it was decided to support the protest. A bridge of British steel, 20,000 torn in weight, is to be built over the Zambesi by a Darlington firm, according to designs by English civil engineers. It will be 11,650 ft long, the longest bridge over water in the world, exceeding the length of the T&y bridge by over a thousand feet. The Hell Gate Bridge, New York, is longer by 2000fV but three-quarters of its length is over land. The Portuguese Government has authorised the building of this bridge) and also the raising of over fwo mil* lion pounds by two African railway companies to finance the bridge and a railway. The Taitway will enable goods and passengers to travel from the port of Beira in Portuguese East Africa t«j Lake Nyassa, and will give the Froteo* torate of Nyassaland direct access t« the sea.