POWER FOR BACKBLOCKS

Hawke's Bay Herald-Tribune, Issue 155, 19 July 1937, Page 8

POWER FOR BACKBLOCKS

Ceniral H.B. Scheme In' regard to the 10 per cent subsidy scheme to assist back-country settlers brought forward at the monthly meeting of the Cehtral Hawke's Bay Power Board on Friday, Mr A. C. Holrns has asked us to make public two corrections in what are obviously typographicai errors. As shown by the terms of lxis motion, lie said, the -board would be ealied upon under the scheme to contribute toward tlie extension of the' transmlssion lines on a basis not exceeding £300 per consumer. The figure £200 appeared in the hody of what he termed "in view of the technical nature of the data submitted an excelent running report," ln his reference to the Tauranga board, a suceessful one in a smaller area with only 3.5 consumers per xoute mile (but 412 miles of line^ are compared with the Central Hawke's Bay total of only 239 in 1935-36), jvkile Central Hawke's Bay had 7.1 as its ratio, Mr Holmes mentioned that tlie maximum price for current was 5d. in , the case of the northern authority quoted, which was 2d (not 3d) cheaper than in the local area. » He considered an average of two consumers per additional route mile to be satisfactory and that- three conformed with the Central, Hawke's Bay board' s average capital outlay of £90 per consumer, as, at £300 per mile for construction, the 10 per cent subsidy would bring the cost down to £270 per mile — "a step in the right direction," The 10-year " guarantee basis of 15 perLcent. would thus be reduced to 13J per cent and, plus the hoped-for State subsidy, to 10J per cent.