NON-CONSUMERS’ RATE.

Hauraki Plains Gazette, Volume XXXVI, Issue 4807, 6 February 1925, Page 2

NON-CONSUMERS’ RATE.

application to sections. REMITS TO BE SUBMITTED. At Tuesday’s meeting of the Thames Valley Electric Power Board Mr W. E. G. Willy introduced the subject of the non-c jnsumens’ rate, and stated that an impression had got abroad that a farm which had been divided into two would be treated, so far as the rate was concerned, .as one property.

The chairman (Mr F. H. Claxton) said that was not correct, and the Audit Department would not allow itMr Willy thought that the public should be notified of that fact. It appeared to him ais though the board was going back on a promise. In the campaign iji respect to the loan proposals' it had .been stated that the board was of the opinion that a divided property would be considered as one property.

The chairman urged members to consider the matter between the present time and .the next meeting so that a remit could be sent to the next Power Boards'’ Conference.

Mr F. E. Flatt requested that the matter should be referred to the finance committee to submit proposed remits to the next board meeting for submission to the conference, and he moved in that direction. The motion was carried.

Mr Willy contended that it did not remove the false impression which had been created, and on his suggestion it was decided to advertise the position in respect to several sections in any- one Block of land.

Mr G. Howie : Do you mean that a man witn a number of sections would have to pay a separate non-eonsumers’ rate on each section 1

The chairman replied in the affirmative, and said that he knew of one person who owned twenty-three sections.

Attention was drawn to the remarks made by Mr Greenslade, a member of the Waitemata Board, which appeared in an Auckland paper referring to certain statements said to hi ve been made by the Mayor of Paero(Mr W. Marshall) regarding a loss of £lOO a week alleged to have been made by the board.

The remarks were strongly resented by all the members, and it was Anally moved by Mr Flatt, and seconded by Mr Howie, that the chairman be requested to reply to the statements through the Auckland papers <ind the local Press, and also that’ the board’s staff extend every faicilty to enable the gentlemen named to ascertain the true position of the board’s affairs, so that in future statements without foundation would not get abroad and create false impressions in the minds of the peopled

The motion was unanimously supported.