LIGHTING AFFAIRS.

Dominion, Volume 4, Issue 1209, 18 August 1911, Page 8

LIGHTING AFFAIRS.

ONSLOW AND JOHNSONVILLE. The lighting affairs of Onslow and Johnsonville wore under review at last night's meeting of the Onslow Borough Council. A letter was received from the Wellington Gas Company stating that in consequence of the serious amendments proposed by the council to the draft agreement the company .was. unable to proceed further with the proposal. It was, therefore, to be understood that the negotiations for the supply of gas. were closed. Mr. F. Holdsworth (the Mayor of the borough) said that the whole position wis that it was necessary that both Onslow and Johnsonville should agree to take gas. On March 8 of this year a letter had been sent to the Gas Company referring to the main points upon which the council and the company were agreed. It was not till April 11 that a draft agreement was received, and this embodied important points which had not been raised before. The old council had gone out of office at the end of April, and 110 action had been taken for a considerable period, as the new council wore in receipt of information that Johnsonville was in treaty for a petrol gas installation, and for the time being lyere done with the Gas Company. Later 011 Johnsonville had again turned its attention to coal gas, for on June 19 a letter had been received that Johnsonville was prepared to ratify the agreement with the "Gas Company, subject to certain amendments, and that the agreement, should be confirmed and executed by the company not Inter than July' 7, a period of three weeks. Onslow_ then considered the agreement: in a series of meetings of the Lighting Committee, aud finally agreed on July 21 that the council would confirm the agreement, subject to the council's solicitors being satisfied, and that the council would waive all their objections, provided the comnany agreed not to erect gasworks in the borough.' Prior to July 21 the council had been in possession of definite information that Johns'onvillo had finally "turned down" the Gas Company's . proposals, and had commenced negotiations with a- representative in Wellington of. a lighting company. The council approved the Mayor's statement of the position.