HUTT POWER BOARD

Dominion, Volume 20, Issue 54, 27 November 1926, Page 13

HUTT POWER BOARD

LOAN PROPOSALS EXPLAINED. On Thursday night a meeting of Lower Hutt ratepayers was held to hear the views of the members of the Hutt Valley Power Board on the* proposed loan. The Mayor (Mr. VV. T. Strand) presided. Mr. A. J. McCurdy, chairman of the board, said the board was asking for authority to borrow £150,000. The board had already borrowed £264,000, which had been used to serve the community as far as it would go, but so rapid was the growth of the district that, if ratepayers were to be properly served, it was necessary to extend immediately. The total of £150,000 ■would be sufficient to serve the district for three years. The amount might seem to be a large one, but ( if compared with what other districts had borrowed, it was not large. Other districts had borrowed as. much as £35 per head of population, but the Hutt Valley’s rate per head was under £lO, the lowest but one of any district borrowing a similar amount. I'wo boards had called upon he ratepayers for the rate they were allowed to collect, but there was not the slightest chance of the HuttzValley Board ever doing this. It was already serving 5193 customers, and had the third largest number of customers of any power board. At the present time there were eighteen miles of new streets which required reticulating. The new railway line tlirqugh the valley was increasing subdivisions to such an extent that it was most difficult to keep pace with the rapid growth. The board was desirous of increasing the use of current for cooking, and £20,000 would be set aside out of the loan for assisting consumers. No line was laid down unless it would show a return of 12| per cent on the cost of construction. The chairman explained other aspects of the board’s business. Messrs. A. J. Hobbs and H. Jay, members of the board, also placed various aspects l>e(ore the meeting. Several questions were answered by Mr. McCurdy. The meeting closed with a hearty vote of thanks to the speakers.