HUTT POWER BOARD

New Zealand Times, Volume LIII, Issue 12615, 27 November 1926, Page 7

HUTT POWER BOARD

LOAN PROPOSALS EXPLAINED DISTRICT’S WONDERFUL PROGRESS. A meeting of Lower Hutt ratepayers was held on Thursday evening to hear the views of the members of the Hutt Valley Power Board on the proposed loans. The Mayor (Mr W. T. Strand) presided. I Mr A. J. McCurdy, chairman of the : board, said the board was asking for \ authority to borrow £150,000. The board had already borrowed £264,000, j which had been used to serve the community as far as it would go,. but so rapid was the growth of the district that, if ratepayers were to be properly served, it was necessary to extend immediately. The total of £150.000 would be sufficient to serve the district for three years. The amount might seem to be a large one, but, if compared with what other districts had borrowed, it was not large. districts had borrowed as much as £35 tier head of population, but the Hutt Valley’s rate per head was under £lO, the lowest but One of any district borrowing a similar amount. Two boards had called upon the ratepayers for the rate they were allowed to collect, but there was not the slightest chance of the Hutt Valley Board ever doing this. It was already serving 5193 customers, and had the third largest number of customers of any power board. The revenue for the current year was estimated at £33,000, but £50,000 was already in sight, and the revenue would exoeed the expenditure by £SOOO. At the present time there were eighteen miles of new streets which required reticulating. The new railway line through the Valley was increasing subdivisions to such an extent that it was most difficult to keep pace with the rapid growth. The number of applications for current last month was 159. The board was desirous of increasing the use of current for cooking, and £20,000 would be sot aside out of the loan for assisting consumers. ... . Mr McCurdy explained the present tariff, and contended that it was the simplest in the Dominion. No line was laid down unless it would show a return of 12 i per cent, on the cost of construction. The chairman explained other aspects of the hoard’s business. Messrs A. J. Hobbs- and H. Jay. members of tbe board, also placed various aspects before the meeting, remarking on the enormous growth of the industries in the district. Several questions were answered by Mr McCurdy. The meeting closed with a hearty vote of thanks to the speakers.