Otaki Motor Camp Must Wait For Electricity

Chronicle (Levin), 21 October 1949, Page 4

Otaki Motor Camp Must Wait For Electricity

An application for a power onnection to the motor camp at Tasman Beach, forwarded by the Otaki Borough Council, was the subject of a lengthy discussion at the monthly meeting of the Horowhenua Electric Power Board, held in Levin yesterday. In a letter to the board, fhe council asked that as the new motor camp at Moana Street, Tasman Beach, was to be opened for campers this summer, would the board arrange for power to be available to the camp in the near future. The chairman, Mr. T. G. Vincent, said that owing to the fact that many people had been waiting for years for power extensions to permanent dwellings, it did not seem just to disregard them in order to supply 'holiday houses with power. "I cannot see that we can do anything to betier their position at the moment. The area in question must be treated as all otners, and be dealt with in order of priority," said Mr. Vincent. Major-General R. Young said he thought the council's application for power to the camp was important enough to warrant something being done in the near future, and that if it did not get satisfaction before Christmas the position would be decidedly awkward. "After having spent time and money preparing the site and erecting the buildings, it's going to knock them rather hard if they cannot be supplied with electricity," ad'ded General Young. Mr. ^Vincent: Yes, but it's going to knock us, too. * This was just a new venture, said General Young, and if people came to the 'camp to spend their holidays and found no%power it would be a bad thmg. The chairman replied that to ensure no setbacks such as the one it would now experience, the council should have made provision for what was required before it had procee'ded with the project. "Would it be possible to provide a temporary. connection?" asked General Young. Mr. Vincent: No, a temporary connection would be the last thing. The board's engineer, Mr. J. F. Bryce, said that the only possible way to ' connect the camp before the holiday period would be to divert "power poles and material from the Waimea Beach project, and that would be impracticable at the present time. It was mainly poles that were in short supply, he said. There was a possibility of further supplies arriving soon arid perhaps the question might ihen be reconsi'dered. The meeting decided to inform the council that as the board was more concerned with the installation of power in permanent homes than 'holiday houses, the motor camp would have to take its turn with others equally important until as such time as the power connection could be made.