MUNICIPAL GAS.

Dominion, Volume 3, Issue 843, 15 June 1910, Page 7

MUNICIPAL GAS.

THE POSITION AT PETONE. Monday night's meeting of the Petono Borough Council was prolonged until ono o'clock yesterday morning' by. a discussion on the gasworks. Councillor Piper moved for an inquiry by a committee of tho council into the general management of the borough gasworks with a view to an improvement of tho financial position. He complained of tho difficulty in getting information about the actual state of alfairs. He also alleged that thero wero inaccuracies in the accounts. The Mayor (Mr. J. W. M'Ewan) admitted that the totals of one or two of tho accounts were, owing to a clerical mistake, one or two pounds out in the reckoning. In defending tho operations of the works, the Mayor remarked that with receipts totalling .C7C52 and an expenditure of JCSOSI, the concern had really made a profit during the year-of no less than .£2571. This amount, however, has been disposed of by an expenditure (detailed) of .£2507, which included such items as: —Interest, .£913; sinking fund, .£100; cookers, £VU; new street lamps, JUDO; materials, .£2.13; tar well, .£10S; meters, .£201; overdraft repaid, .£541; etc. This left an actual cash balance of .EOt 3s. fd., as the balance-sheet now disclosed. This, he said, worked out to a credit of 12 per cent. The Mayor strongly commended tho work of the manager of tho gasworks (Mr. W. 11. Cook). Prior to Mr. Cook's taking over the management tho council had had a very "rocky" time, but the live interest taken in its operations by the borough engineer had been responsible for a distinct improvement in alfairs. . Councillor Short also eulogised the manager and defended Ihe works. Tho undertaking, he submitted, showed, if viewed in the light of a private company, a most reasonable profit—one which reflected credit on the management of the borough engineer. The motion was rejected in favour of an amendment moved by Councillor Soulhgate—that the council iu committee as a whole should consider any recommendations' made by councillors in respect to the gasworks.