HOROWHENUA ELECTRIC POWER BOARD.

Shannon News, 19 May 1922, Page 4

HOROWHENUA ELECTRIC POWER BOARD.

VARIOUS MATTERS DISCUSSED

A meeting of the Horcwhenua Electric Power Board was heid in Levin on Tuesday. Present: Messrs. G. A. Monk (chairman), A. A. Brown, F. Whihley,' C. Kilsby, A. SePert, W. H. Gunning, D. W. Mathe-on, Barber and Mackay. RAISING A LL AN.

The Manawatu-Oroua Power Board wrote stating it was proposed to commence negotiations at an early date in connection with the raising of the proposed joint loan between the Wa-nganui-Rangitikei, Taiarua, tlorowhenua, Dannevirke and ManawatuOroua Boards, “and I have been requested to ascertain if it is still the intention of your Board to join in the proposal, and if so, to request you to forward the amount of your estimates to be included in the loan proposal. This matter will be discussed at the next meeting of my Board, to 'be held on June 12, and I shall be glad if you will kindly torward the information before that date.”

The Chairman sand Manawatu, evidently proposed to carry on negotiations when they got the estimates. That was not the idea of the conference at all. He was not in favour of any one Board or its representatives conducting these negotiations (Hear, hear.) .This' Board should rerep !y stating the money it required, and stating that, in its opinion, a further conference shoe -.1 be called. It was not left entirely a the hands of the Manawatu Boaru .0 open negotiations, as they evidently intended.

Mr Whibley said Rangitikei, one of the Boards mentioned, had decided to go on its own. The chairman said the conference came to a decision to go to Mr Massey. They had done that, and the onus on the Manawatu Board was to call another comerence of Boards. Mr Brown asked whether their Engineer would be ! able to give an estimate.

The ckuTman: Yes, he will. We will be quite ready for them.

THE ENGINEER’S ENGAGEMENT

The Central Power Board wrote thanking the Board for its offer to allow Mr Overton to make periodical visits of .n-yectien, and stating that he dsad. hem appointed Consulting Engineer for a period of 12 months from the dale of the termination of his present posaion, should he be so iong requiieu, and the Board’s consent was asked to him occupying the duaL position. The chairman and members of the Horovvhenua Board were assured of a cordial reception should they desire to visit the Waikato district.

Mr Whibley said he understood the Engineer would receive £250 per annum as Consulting Engineer lor the Central Board. He did not think it was quite a lair thing seeing that, he was also to receive £IOOO per year trom this Board.

Tiie chairman said that personally lie could not see any harm in it. The Board knew that the Engineer was bound to give three months’ notice to the Central Board, but in order to have his services sooner had suggested that he could act in an advisory capacity to the Central Board if they desired it. On the other hand, it was stated in the schedule ol duties that he was entirely in this Board’s service. It was lor this Board to say whether it agreed. Ihe speaker had made the suggestion at last meeting that the Engineer could | advise the other Board until his sue- J cessor whs appointed. The Engineer would not get his full salary here j until he took up the position. Mr Brown said the chairman made, the offer to the Engineer to assist the Central Board. Mr Matheson: And the Board'was quite agreeable to the offer.

The chairman said this Board was going to save a. considerable amount

in salary by the arrangement. The Engineer would not. be able to take up his position for some weeks, though the speaker would like' to have him here when 'the loan proposals were being . put before the people. Personally, he did not think it mattered very much to them what the Central Board were paying. Mr Whibley: I think it does. When we engaged the secretary, we made the a.rrang£nlenff direct with the County Council. The arrangement with the Central Boiard should be made with the Horowhenua Electric Power Bohrd.

The chairman: They are suggesiing that in 'this letter. This Board can turn the proposal down if it likes, but. one Board should assist, another as far as it could: Mr Whibley agreed that the Boards should work in with and not light each other, but 'the Engineer was getting a. good salary, and it was not a fair thing that he should get this £250.

Mr Mackay could not see wh'at objection there could be to the Central Board paying the money if they were

prepared to do it. It was rather a feather in the Engineer’s cap that

they should be willing to pay him

Mr Seifert said there was a good deal in Mr Whibley’s contention, but this was an exceptional case. This Board wanted the Engineer as soon as possible, and to get him quickly it had made an offer to allow h.'m to advise the Central Board. The Engineer was not on full salary here yet, but he was doing what this Board required. He saw no objection to the arrangement, but in other circumstances he might not agree to such a course. —*

Mr Matheson agreed with the principle Mr Whibley had brought up, but there were different circumstances in this case. The Board had to appoint an Engineer to allow them to get on with their work,, but they had no finance, and until they arranged a loan were not able to purchase material. They had made an arrangement whereby the Engineer could give the Board an interim report and do other preliminary work that would enable them to get their money and commence operations. They wanted to clearly understand that in the meantime the Engineer was not getting his full salary from Horowhenua. They would be very foolish to keep him here and pay him the full salary when they had no work for him to do, and when the other Board could be making full use of his services. It should also be clearly understood tha( this Board had first call on the Engineer. Apart from that,, he < could see no objection to the arrangement, which meant, getting the Engineer’s advice much sooner than otherwise would have been possible.

The chairman: And we do not. want to do any injustice .to the Central Board.

The chairman said he was not going to say he disagreed with Mr Whibley, but the circumstances were not What he thought. The speaker had suggested six months as the period for which the Engineer might act as consultant, and he would stick to that. He would move that the agreement with the Central Board be made for six months, and reviewed at the end of that time. He asked the Engineer to state his point Oi view.

Mr Overton said he w’as rather sorry the question had cropped up, because the Central Board had simply regarded the £250 a year as paying his railway fare and travelling expenses when he wieni there. It was not worth his while for the sum mentioned going up there, spending his time and trouble and putting in a couple of nights in the train. A thousand pounds looked a big salary, but, as a matter of fact, it was nothing great under the circumstances. By the time, he had shifted his home, which would, cost fully £IOO, bought a motor-car capable ot taking him round this district, and bought a house, considerable inroads.would have been made into it. He could have had £IOOO in thei W aikato and stayed them, but had accepted this Board’s position and was going to keep to his undertaking.

The chairman's motion was then agreed to. Mr H. C. Oaten, one .of the Ihree selected candidates lor the position of Engineer,, wrote thanking the Board for its consideration. 'J he Board had every reason to congratulate itself on its selection. Mr Overton was a real man, and undoubtedly able to carry their programme to fruition and place Horowhenua in the lead so far as sound engineering was concerned. A. second reason lor congratulation lay in the fact that a Mew Zealander wms selected, proving that this ..country could produce engineers w'ho could think beyond their jobs. The Board might not know it, but the eyes of the world were on Mew Zealand’s electrical programme and especially on distribution as carried out by the Power Boards, so therefore it behoved them to'•.drain every nerve to get sound results and a satisfied public. He expressed his gratitude for the absolute fairness and impartial hearing given him by the Board.

“A very fine letter,” commented the chairman. Mr A. A. Hastings, the other candidate, also wrote expressing his .sincere thanks for the Board’s kind consideration of his application, the good hearing he received at the interview’, and the kind remarks passed by the chairman and members on the announcement of the decision.

GENERAL.. The Finance Committee brought down a provisional estimate of expenditure to March 31, 1923. This totalled £2BOO, and comprised: Salaries and travelling—Engineer £950. draughtsman £350, typist £IOO, County Council (clerk) £210; office furnishing, etc,, £6o* printing, etc., £SO; bank inlerest on overdraft £7O, umt £65, loan poll and legal £95, motorcar £275, travelling £SO, contingencies £75, chairman £2lO, members of Bo’ard £240. These estimates were adopted by

the Board. The Town Clerk, Levin, wrote asking the Board to submit, a rough outline of the office accommodation it w r ould require in the proposed public buildings it was proposed to erect,—Referred 1o Finance Committee. Messrs. Matheson, Seifert, Whibley and the chairman were appointed a permanent Finance Committee.