HOROWHENUA POWER BOARD.

Manawatu Herald, Volume XLIX, Issue 3887, 22 December 1928, Page 2

HOROWHENUA POWER BOARD.

MONTHLY MEETING. The monthly meeting of the Horowhenua Electric Power Board was held in Levin on Tuesday, there being present: Messrs G. A.. Monk (chairman), W, E. Barber," T. G. Vincent, R. Bryant, E. S. Morse, C. Blenkhorn, A. J. Petherick, and A. Seifert, Air. P. W. Goldsmith (secretary and treasurer) and Mr. J. A. Smith (engineer). TREASURER’S REPORT. . The report of the treasurer, as follows, was adopted:— Confirmation of Accounts.—The half-yearly payment of interest to the A.M.P. .Society is due in Sydney on the 21st instant. Hence a bank draft for £2200 was duly forwarded to be available on .due date. The bank rate of exchange to Australia is now one-quarter per cent. Five tons of bare copper wire has ;also been, paid for, the cost being £466 13/4; also from overseas a consignment of bolts and nuts at a cost of about £6O. These foregoing amounts, together with the .usual wages, sauries, freight; etc., are the amount of payments to be confirmed to the sum of £3552 15/7.'

Accounts to be passed.—The largest item on the pay-sheet for the day is the sum of £BOO, being the annual sinking fund on the £BO,OOO loan procured from the A.M.P. Society. Commissions earned by our representatives during the past twelve months in the Jhree Boroughs (Foxton, Shannon and Otaki) amount to £l3O, and the items which make up this amount are on the list for .the day. A good proportion of the year’s printing is included in to-day’s accounts. Other items include payments for meters, ranges, switches, waterheaters, benzine and tyres, Spares and extra for oar repairs. Some painting has been done at the Board’s' houses and the amount of the contract, £46 17/-, is amongst the accounts to be passed. The total of the accounts to be passed is £1477 6/4. Receipts for November.—Accounts for the month have come in fairly well, although there are a few of our consumers who ,do not manage to pay up until they get a “cut off” notice. In extreme cases consumers are cut off and only get the power again when they either pay right up or make the financial position much .more satisfactory. During the month 25 cut off notices were sent out, but only three consumers actually lost the supply. The following table shows the cash receipts for November," and also the receipts for the eight months of the present financial year:—

(Shillings and pence omitted). It will be seen that' the total receipts for the month came to £3838 14/11 and of this sum the sale of electricity accounted for £2976 11/2; Over £6OO has come in for installations and service lines, making the total receipts to date under this head about £4700. With regal'd to the total of £26021 19/8 receipts for electricity, it may be mentioned that this sum is some £ISOO less than the previous year, accounted for by the loss of revenue in the large power accounts. From sources of revenue other than power the returns appear to be satisfactory and to have pretty well overtaken the loss of revenue by the abolition of meter rents. Given good returns for the remaining months of the year the position at March 31st next should be a favourable one.

AprilNot. Nov. £ £ Electricity 2976 26021 Penalties 33 220 Installations and service, lines 627 4708 Consuinjers? -deposits 7 89 Interest on installations 29 621 Cottage rents and sundries 164 621 £3838 £31950