WAIPUKURAU WATER WORRIES

Hawke's Bay Herald-Tribune, Volume 81, Issue 26, 23 October 1937, Page 14

WAIPUKURAU WATER WORRIES

Our Own Correspondent)

Borough and Power Board Still Unable to Agree

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WAIPUKURAU, Oct. 22. The interpretation of the agreement between the Central Hawke's Bay Power Board and the Waipukurau Borough Council for the supply of power for the latter body's water pumpjng requirements is still a bone of contention, although the matter has been freely aired and discussed from every angle at meetings over a period of nearly three months. The last time the power board discussed the affair they decided that the special low rate applied to power used during off-peak hours, but that it was the council's responsibility to keep off the peak and, if the pumps should happen to cause a peak load, then the Borough should be asked to pay the extra cost to the board, plus Jd a unit. This decision was communicated to the Borough Council, which, in a letter read at to-day's power-board meeting, reiterated that it expeeted definite ana reasonable peak hours fixed by the board, and that it would not accept liability for any additional charges under the present peak hours fixed. Mr W. A. Chambers: There is no suggestion from them as to what they consider reasonable peak hours. The secretary-manager, Mr G. E. Fowler, explained that there was such a wide variation in the times at which peak loads occurred that it was impossible for the board to predetermme rhem for nnyone.- , ' Mr Chambers, speaking as a representative of the borough ratepayers, said he thought it would be a grdat disaster to the borough if the present agreement were terminated. It was a good agreement from the borough point of view, beeauso the special low rate ($d a unit) had enabled them to reduce their pumping costs by hundreds of pounda per year, and he did not think they would b* able to get the same terma aga.in "Lot of Silly Rabbits" It was not fair, he said, to ask the board to take the risk of being caught «>n » peak, nor was it in the interests o.f the ratepayers to let the squabbla eontmue; certainly not if it were aliowed to go to Court, for he feared tho bnrough would "fall in" and possibly iose a favourable agreement. The chairman, Mr A. C. Russell, supported the secretary 's statoment that it wa? lmpossible to predetermjne a peak. The councillors, he said, were "acting liko a lot of silly rabbits." If the board took its courage in its hands it could force the payment of a disputed account in the Court. Mr J. Witherow pointed out that the board had agreed to give both the Waipawa and Waipukurau borough cheap rutes from 10 p.m. to 6 a.m. and there had never been any trouble over the agreement at Waipawa. Mr W. H. Rathbone said he did not like thfe tone of the letter. it was not the sort of courteous communication oue would expect from oue local body to auotber. "The electrical sense of the members of the council must be slack when they tell us it is our duty to define peaks from day to day," he commented. He felt that the board should take soine action then and there. If the borough would not be responsible for any extra charges, then the board stood to lose a lot of money if they got caught on a peak "We must decide whether we're going to let the Borough run the pumping business, or whether we're going to run it," he concluded. "Wait TUI They Refuse to Pay" The engineer, Mr G. L. Beer, bore out the previous speakers' contentions that it was impossible to fix definite peaks, but added that, since the recent overhaul of the borough pumping plant, all the pumping had been done within the stipulated hours, and, with this plant in proper working order, he considered they could get adequate supplies of water without having to pump extra hours Mr Fowler pointed out that there was a letter on the flle in which the borough agreed to the hours, 10 p.m. to 6 a.m. Mr Chamlers: The only thing to (lo is leave it until they refuse to pay. The chairman; Yes. They haveu't created a breach yet. When they do, we can act. It was finally agreed that the tyiard reply reiterating its previous statement that it was impossible to define the peaks, and offering the council access to any graphs or figures that might help them to understand this. Mr C. Pattison moved a motion to that effect, which was seconded by Mr Rathbone and carried.