HOROWHENUA POWER BOARD.

Manawatu Herald, Volume XLVIII, Issue 3577, 18 December 1926, Page 3

HOROWHENUA POWER BOARD.

COMPLETION OF FOXTON LINE,

The monthly meeting of the Ilorowhenua Electric Power Board was held in Levin on Tuesday. There were present: Messrs Monk (chairman), Kilsbv, Barber, Vincent, Goldsmith (secretary) and J. A. Smith (engineer). Leave of absence was granted to Messrs Seifert and Ross. SCHOOL LIGHTING CHARGES.

The Director of Education wrote stating that the minimum monthly charge for electricity would have the effect of penalising school committees, as school buildings were only used on one or two evenings a month and were closed for six weeks at the end of each year. The Department would be glad to know whether the Boai’d would be prepared to forego the charge as far as school buildings were concerned. The secretary stated that the Tararua. Board’s secretary had written to him asking what arrangements this Board had made with the school committees. He had replied stating that the Board had not yet made any decision as to the minimum charge for schools.

The chairman said that where there were entertainments the committees should pay the minimum charge. It was a hardship that they should have to pay when the schools were closed for so long. To make an alteration in the system of charging, it would be necessary to instal meters. The Board did not want, to have too many kinds of rates. There was already the seaside rate. On the motion of Mr Gunning, it was resolved that, where no entertainments are held in the schools, the seaside rate shall apply. TREASURER’S REPORT. The report of the treasurer (Mr. Goldsmith) was as under:— Accounts. —Payments made since the last meeting of the Board omounted to £990 7s 3d, the principal items being wages, £412; salaries, £243; and third progress payment to the contractor for the erection of the foreman’s cottage, £250. On the pay-roll for the day there are accounts to be passed amounting to £4783. The chief payment is the sum of £2,200 plus exchange to the A.M.P. Society for six months’ interest, payable in Sydney. This interest is in respect of the £BO,OOO loan, and as a matter of fact the bank draft lias already been forwarded to the Society in Sydney so as to be in readiness for payment on due date, viz., the 21st December. The yearly sinking fund on this loan is also payable at an early date, the amount being £BOO. When paid this will' lie the fourth yearly sum of £BOO paid over to the Public Trust Office for (lie sinking fund account. There is also a payment for about 10 tons of bare wire, the cost of which, with a few insulators, accounts for £9lO. The insinuations put in for consumers comes to nbout £250. Those form the principal items (o be passed, and the balance is made up of payments for various goods and commissions. Receipts.—-‘Since the las! meeting of the Board the receipts for electricity and meter rents have amounted to £2153; other receipts for installations, ranges, waterheaters, etc., amount to over £IOOO, and the total takings since last meeting come to £3174. Large outlay on installations. — The people of the Board’s district have installed electrical appliances, through the Board, to the extent, approximately, of £55,000. Of this sum £30,000 has been repaid to the Board. No pay, no light.—During the month several notices were sent out to discontinue the supply unless the arrears for electricity were paid up. In these eases by far the largest percentage find means to pay up, and for the past month no one actually cut off. The absent-minded. —Recently attention has been given to some installation accounts which are overdue. A certain number of our consumers do not trouble much about .their liabilities in respect to their installations, and after the holidays it will he necessary in some instances to let an outside authority convince them that where liabilities arc incurred they must also be met.

The report was adopted, and the accounts passed for payment.