SHANNON’S ELECTRICAL SUPPLY.

Shannon News, 5 July 1921, Page 2

SHANNON’S ELECTRICAL SUPPLY.

; MUST CQME THROUGH POWER BOARD.

During-the recent visit to Shannon of the Minister for Public Works (Hon. J. G. Coates), a deputation consisting'of the Mayor (Mr Murdoch) and members of the Borough Coun* cil, asked that the borough he constituted a separate board under the Act, pointing out that if a small boiough were included in a district embracing a wide rural area, and a flat rate were charged over the whole district, the town would be forced to pay for miles of wiring for the benefit of the country-• A comparatively small amount of wire would be used in a borough, and if Shannon were constituted a separate board a considerable saving would be made. The Minister has now replied to the Mayor as follows: “In reply to the deputation consisting of yourself and the Shannon borough councillors, which waited on me at Shannon on June 17 to _ask that the borough should have the right to reticulate its area without taking power through the power board, I have considered matter carefully.. Steps are, I understand, now being taken to form the Horowhenua Electric Power District, including the Shannon borough, which . will have a member on the Board. No doubt, owing to its proximity to the works, the Board when formed will. supply Shannon first, and in Any case the borough will not obtain any advantage either in date of supply or cost* of power by obtaining a direct supply. On the -contrary, the Board should be able to retail power in Shannon cheaper than the borough could .owing to the larger supply over which to distribute the overhead costs of distribution. The details of the arrangements ,Jor supply are for decision between yourselves and .the Board when constituted, but in the ( meanwhile I am unable to consider a direct supply which would prejudice the formation o/ the Board and would net _ offer any advantage to the borough.” 4 . The Horowhenua County Council wrote to last meeting of the Shannon Borough Council in reference to the formation of a power district and election of- a Power Board. After some trouble as to whether or not ] art of the Manawatu ' County would come in this dictrict, the matter, was now being settled. A draft copy of the petition was to be circulated throughout the district, and was now in Wellington for approval. After the petition was signed, And the district formed, the members of the Board were elected, the work wo dd be started as soon as the money was raised. . The 'writers took it"that any expenditure in the erection of poles, etc., of the 'required standard, if of advantage to the scheme of reticulation, would be approved by the Board, and such work would be taken over and paid for at a fair valuation. , Mr P. W. Goldsmith, secretary of the Provisional Committee of the proposed Horowhenua .. Electric Power District, wrote-underlater date'tha|he had secured approval-of. the Department to a form of petition which was about to be printed, it was essential to have a correct statement of the number of ratepayers and, the valuations ,of each respective constituent district. J.ater after the petition has; been signed, ..a declaration would be required in accordance with the Electric Power Boards -Act, 1918, in relation to the correctness thereof. The writer thanked the Council for information already supplied, but asked that the figures now submitted in copy of declaration (be checked. If they were approximately correct, they ' would be inserted in the petition.

The declaration stated that the number of ratepayers in the Shannon borough was 205, the value of the rateable property was £72,050, and the improved value £44,139. The correspondence was received, \ the Mayor stating that the declaration as submitted was correct. The Mayor (Mr Murdoch) reported to Borough Council on Friday evening that the borough overdraft at present was £6OO.