RETICULATION OF ELECTRIC POWER.

Manawatu Herald, Volume XLIII, Issue 2293, 23 June 1921, Page 1

RETICULATION OF ELECTRIC POWER.

FRESH- LIGHT ON BURNING

TOPIC

'OWNS NOT TO BE PENALISED

FOR COUNTRY

A deputation from the Shannon Borough Council waited upon the Minister for Public Works (Hon. J. G. Coates) at Shannon on Friday last, and asked that the borough of Shannon be constituted a separate board for electric power under the Act. The Mayor of Shannon (Mr W. Murdoch) argued that if a small 'borough were included in a district embracing a wide country area and a flat rate charged over the whole district, the town would be forced to pay for miles of wiring for the benefit of the country. He contended that that was not equitable. The Minister pointed out that they could not have a board for Shannon itself. It was only by linking up the people that the power could be retailed at a reasonable rate. Mr Murdoch: Is it fair then that Shannon should pay for miles and miles of wiring lor those li\ing outside the borough? Mr Coates, in his reply, said that (he town would no! lie penalised for the country reticulation. Hint was never intended. If, for instance, a man living 20 miles away desired to be connected, the local power board would say to him: You must pay for the wiring if you want the power. Mr F.W. Furkert (Enginecr-in-Chicf of the Public Works Department) pointed out that each local power board would have to run its business on business lines to make the proposition a success.

Mr Murdoch said that it was highly important to get the whole of this information. The matter had never been put in this light before. Mr Coates added that a power board had authority to make any regulation. It was never intended that a flat, rate'should lie struck over the whole district for reticulation purposes. In answer to Mr Murdoch, Mr Coates also said that if a man was living far away, power would not be reticulated to him unless he paid; on the other hand, he would not impose such regulations as would prevent the ready sale of the power.