THE CITY ELECTRIC LIGHT.

NZ Truth, Issue 84, 26 January 1907, Page 8

THE CITY ELECTRIC LIGHT.

TO THE EDITOR. Sir,— Being deeply interested m the progress of the city of Wellington, I attended the meeting called by the Mayor to dicuss the question of purchase of the plant of the Electrical Syndicate. I also attended the previous one called by the Mayor for the purpose of starting a modern electric lighting plant, independent of the Syndicate. The Mayor on that occasion clearly showed that the best interests of the city would be served by buiMing- a modern municipal plaint without interfering m any way with the Syndicate's rights or privilege. He also clearly proved to the satisfaction of the citizens that the municipality could put a stop to the extortionate demands of the Syndicate for light and power hitherto charged the citizens for the poor service rendered. No opposition, except from parties who desired to exploit the public, was shown and his proposals carried by good majorities. Since ,that period Us has evidently changed considerably his argumentsseemed to the writter to be those of a man who held a brief on behalf of the Syndicate— and was anything but convincing that his previous stand was wrong. He also showed marked irritability that anyone should venture to diCer from him m his proposals to give a hundred and fifty thousand ; pounds for the admittedly obsolete ' and badly arranged plant the Syndicate owns. Councillor Carmichael deserves the 'greatest credit for his courage m making known the inward <■ facts 'about the real value of the Syndicate's • plant— facts that as one of the ratepayers present at -the meeting said, that the people who furnish--i.ed the money had a right to know —and he instanced this, as o ne of the evils o f doing public business m secret which is responsible for all the blunders that have taken pla.ce during the ,

last seven or eight years m the city. Incidentally a specimen of doubtful honesty came out when it was shown that the city had given between six and seven thousand pounds for something that was only valued. on^ the books of the company at twelve or eighteen hundred— that is the poles and apparatus lor lighting the*streets —which by the' way the city is now casting aside as fast as possible. The whole miserable business seems, to be a determined effort to unload a I lot of almost worthless junk so far as the efficient and economical production of electricity is concerned. Unless the ditizens have a hundred and fifty thousand pounds to throw away for the doubtful benefit of getting rid of the Syndicate— which the consumers of electricity, will have to "pay m addition to the cost of throwing out the old juiik, rearranging the rest and furnishing a more modern and efficient plant which is estimated will cost two hundred thousand pounds— they had better have nothing to do with the new proposals, but go on with the plant that the ratepayers have already sanctioned.— Yours, etc., CITIZEN.