POWER BOARD’S POLES.

Hauraki Plains Gazette, Volume XXXVII, Issue 4965, 23 April 1926, Page 4

POWER BOARD’S POLES.

INVESTIGATION BY AN EXPERT. SATISFACTORY POSITION SHOWN In order to ascertain i£ the Thames Valley Electric Power Board was working on sound commercial Inies in the purchase, storing, disposal of its stocks, it was, decided at the February meeting of the board to obtain an outside . expert opinion on .the operations of the .trading department. I,t was considered that if such steps; were taken it would give the board an opportunity to. improve on its system, if necessary, and if, on the other hii.nd, matters were 'found satisfactory, the results of the investigation would further increase! the confidence of the 'ratepayers' witlhin the board’s area. Accordingly, a thorough investigation was carried out by the manager of the' British Electric Company, Limited, Auckland, and the following report was submitted to the board 1 at its meeting last wfek “I have pleasure in submitting in accordance with your manager’s instruct ionisy a report as to the va,lue of your board’s stocks, sjiown in the stock-sheet, a,s ®t March 31, 1926. (; - “I inspected the actual stocks, at the head office and tiie various depots. I can report that they are all, in excellent condition.. , Stocks comprise only such items as are being turned over month after, month, and there is a complete absence of any stocks of a nature which is unsaleable, or even not in common demand. This is a matter for congratulation to the board’s officers, and shows good judgment in their purcharges, ap one would, expect .after th is time a. certain, accumulation of items which are unsaleable. Also changes, in Fire Underwriter’s regulations, from time to time render stocks useless, and commercial houses have found quite an accumulation of this type of stock. which it is very hard, to get rid df. The board is very-for-tunate in having obsolete stocks of this nature.. Good judgment hap been shown in so arranging their stocks that articles condemned by ’the Fire Underwriters have been used up' before their use was forbidden.

“I noticed also in my inspection that care has evidently been taken to ininimise the wastage which is common to c nnmercial contracting firms, particularly as regards materials, returned from competed jobs. “I found that stocks are all. priced at present-day market Quotations, diid in fact many items, particularly ca,ble and certain conduit fittings, costed, at extremely fine figures, so that the value as shown • against stocks in hand represent a -’rue. representation of'the value of the stocks as they stand. . .’ '. "“I would like to express apprecia,tion of the manner in which stocks a.re kept by the various storekeepeiis, and thank officers and the board’s employees for'the facilities given me in carrying out this /inspection.” Mr F. 0. Flatt isiad that it was a high compliment do the. efficiency of the board's officials., ■

Mr J. Price said that the report was very satisfactory, and the money spent for investigation had been well spent. ' : . . ■ ■ The. chairman, '(Mr F. H. Claxton) agreed, and said that the member who were not faimlllar with the pm-, chasing branch of the board’s opei ations, should have a feeling of confidence on 'reading ’ the report, which was unbiased a.nd authoritative. It was, resol veil to receive the report, and .that it be handed to the Press for publication. ■