POWER BOARDS

Dominion, Volume 12, Issue 5, 1 October 1919, Page 3

POWER BOARDS

AMENDING LEGISLATION SUGGESTED RATES AND REPRESENTATION Mr. ,T. A. Young, M.P., and Mr. H. P. Toogood',, electrical engineer, interviewed the Prime Minister yesterday n9 representing the proposed T'e Awamiihi Electric Poorer Board, and placed before him Borne suggested amendments in the Electric Power Boards Act, 1918. Mr. Toogood said that .cumbersome and costly, procedure was necessary to secure the ■creation of an electrical power board district under, the Act, He urged' that it. should bo permissible for the whole or 0. part of a local coverning district, to constitute a power district on'the'special order of tlie local governing body.; Mr. Massey said ho would look into the Uoint with tjio object: of seeing what could' 1)6 done during the present session. ■ , ' Mr/ Younsr brought under -the notice of the 'Prime Minister the fact that the Act made no provision for a power board to borrow .money from the State Advances Department. He urged thnt as several boards were about to be established in the Waikato and Thames .districts. two of which were well under way, it was urgently 11 eees^ary that the law should bo amended liis session to cover the point lie had mentioned. Mr. Tounp; nlso' pointed out that whilo the power board-fixed,the rate to be charged over a constituent district, the authority to collect the rate was vested in the several local governing' bodies concerned. But the Act did notmnke it mandatory on the local bodies to collect the rate. In the event of a local body failing-to.col-lect the rate, there was no machinery whereby the-power board, could collect. 'Ha asked for an amendment of the Act to enable power boards to collect tlieir own rates. Mr. Young added that members of a power board were to lxi elected on the franchise of a constituent district for the same term ns numbers of tho local governing body, lie would : not uro any change in the franchise, as that was a debateable nuestion, and lind been before the country for many years in connection with the -harbour heard.?, but lie asked that all. members of a power bonrd should bo elected for a uniform term, say, three years.. At present members representing a. borough or town district would be elected for two years, and those representing r, county or road district- for three years. The Primo Minister said ho would ltwV •into all the points that had been raised. He would be nleased to do what he could to render the Act more workable, and if the neressarv amendments could be made tbis session they would be taken in hand. He aslced Mr.' .Young and Mr. Tooßood to place their suqirestiora before the Crown '.law'draughtsmen, in order that suitable legislation might be drafted for tlio consideration of the Government. ... .