ELECTRICITY CHARGES

Rotorua Morning Post, Volume 2, Issue 335, 23 September 1932, Page 4

ELECTRICITY CHARGES

The decision of the Minister of Tourist and Health ftesorts, Hon. Adam Hamilton, to approve a reduction in the power charges for Rotorua will be received with I general satisfaction. The reductions have been made only after prolonged representations, but credit must be given Mr. Hamilton for making the coneession with commendable promptitude. The position was placed before the Minister during his recent visit to Rotorua but the actual representations extend over a period of years. For two years ! at least, officers of the Department have been investigating j the figures, and while the reducj tions fall short of what has been I asked, satisfaction will be felt | that something at least has been ' secured at a time when Governj ment departments are mueh I more anxious to receive than to | bestow bounty. Although it is j impossible to assess the exact j figures, so far as can be ascer- : tained, the reductions in the agI gregate will mean a substantial | four figure saving to the consum- ! ers of the Tourist Department's | electricity department. Under ! more favourable financial conditions, it is possible that the fi g- , ure might have been more sub- ■ stantial still, but even so it is ; of sufficient size to afford gratifieation under present conditions. j The new scale will prohabiy not | bring any very noticeahle reductions to individual consumers month by rnonth, but in the aggregate it will mean something to the community. The halfpenny ! reduction in the price for lighting supply is the most noticeable coneession, but farmers will derive benefit from the reductions which have been made for milking power supply. This will now be charged at the rate of 3d up to the first 20 units, 2d between 21 and 1000 units, and the balance at a penny. This places the farmers on the same basis as the users of commercial power, but j they are still on a slightly high- \ er rate than the users of power for domestic purposes. The dif- ! ference, however, is small and ! the farmer himself benefit s as : a consumer under both heads. The chief advantage from the farmers' point of view, however, will be that they will be removed from a fixed scale and will now 1 pay according to the power con- : sumed. Under this arrangement, I they will find it profitable to ! control their consumption whereas previously, there was no in- 1 \ centive to them to conserve ; power. This will give them some j opportunity of reducing the j 5 power bill when economies in ] 1 this direction can be made, and ! I they will not be forced to pay j i for power which they do not use. I j On a comparative basis, the j :i Tourist Department's charges j will now stand in a much more | favourable light. A comparison | with seven adjacent supply au- ! thorities, the Bay of Plenty Board, the Tauranga Power Board, the Thames Yalley Power Board, the Tauranga Borough, the Hamilton Borough, and the Cambridge Power Board, places Rotorua as approximately third cheapest in its charges for domestic light and power and second cheapest for commercial power. This may be regarded as a satisfactory position particularly in view of the fact that in each case, the Hamilton Borough is one of the authorities supplying at a lower figure. Obviously large municipal supply boairds cannot fairly be compared with smaller boards with widely scattered districts. In these former areas, the population is much more dense, and the maintenance costs, as a result, considerably lower with a mueh gi'eater revenue return. With the exception of the Hamilton Borough, therefore, the various boards quoted may be taken as a fair standard of comparison with Rotorua conditions; The Bepari-

Iment has given its consumers ' something, if not everythmg, of the reductions which were asked and in these days of eeonomy that is something for whiea to ; be appropriately thankful.