POWER BOARD LOANS WITHOUT A POLL

Chronicle (Levin), 10 September 1947, Page 6

POWER BOARD LOANS WITHOUT A POLL

Press Association)

(Per

WELLINGTON, Bept. 9. Authoritv for Electric Power Boards to raise additional loan's for the reticulation of- areas added to their districts without taking a polh of • ratepayers, is contained'. in the Electric Power Boards Amendment Bill which was introduced and read a first time in the House of Representatives today. .Special rates levie'd as security for these loans, will be eonsolidated with Ihe other special rates for the wholo of a board \s uistrict. An explanation of the Bill was given by the Minister iu charge of the State Ilydro-electric Departmcnt, Mi. Semple^ who said the Bill will meer the position in districts that were partly reticulated.' A poll to raise a loan to compleie reticulation 111 areas that had been added by an alteration to the boundaries of a board 's district, had at present to be taken over thc whole of the district. The boards eonsidered that it was quite unfair that a seetion of the people could be do prived of power possibly by the vote of those who eujoyed it. Thc Bill gave power to boards to complete the reticulation of these areas without taking a poll of ratepayers. Mr. Semple who said the Bill had been introduced at the request of power boards tliroughout New Zealand, explained that the Bill also provided for the election of boards on the parliamentarv franchise. Actually only oue board was not already elected on that franchise, the Golden Bay Power Board. The Bill also give the boards the right to acquire house property for ' their employees. As the law stood at I present they could buy land and build I a house on it but could not buy . property on which a house was already • built. That was an anomaly in the . law which the Bill rectified.