POWER BOARD OFFICES.

Shannon News, 23 February 1923, Page 3

POWER BOARD OFFICES.

TO BE IN WEB ABO A OB LEVIN. A question was asked by Mr A. Mbivay at Tuesday’s meeting ot theHorowhenua Power .Board,as do what was being done in the way of providing office accommodation' Tor the Board.

Mr G. A. Monk, chairman; said with the exception of the inquiry lrom the Borough Council ; as ' to what, accomkniodation was required nothing 'had been done. He • thought, the .Council would be able' to ,let offices to the Board cheaper than, the Board could build them. ■' , , Mr McKay: l caiTt see how they can. He said the Borough Council would probably build an expensive class of bin id ing' in keeping with the town, and necessarily the rent must be higher. The Board should, build its own offices on its own property at Weraroa. That site was. central and would be convenient lor people con ing. from aiiy part of the country.- lie moved that tiie Bpard build offices on its q\vn property at Weraroa. \

111 seconding pro l'orma, Mr W. Barber said -the question was one that should: he considered. if/.., . The Chairman; (to Mr McKay); Do you wish to stbte.any particular time to commence, or that the Board should define its policy? (Mr McKay: Define our policy and go straight ahead. . > It was / pointed ■ blit that at last meeting a motion was passed that offices be not included in the depot buildihgs To he erected at Weraroa. ■ Mr A. Brown said he was in favour of the Board' putting its offices on its own ground. .

Mr D. W. Matheson said he could not support a resolution so' vague as that put forward by Mr McKay; which provided that they would have to build' on their own land irrespective of-cost. He said the Borough Council w&s moving ;as fast as it v copld with the scheme it h4d in view, \Vhich .necessitated a lot of careful inquiry! The Council would be 1 able to let offi.,;c room cheaper than the Board could erect! it, and pointed out- that;.- the Council was hearing in mind the requirements of three local bodies— 1 County Counqii, Power Board and. Borough Council. (They could build for the three cheaper Than one could do for itself, as the same board-rooqi would do for all three; In the building there was going to/be nothing ebiborate, as Mr McKay said, that would mean higher rentals. • He was not regarding the question from a revenue point ,so much as from the most central and convenient position lor the Board to have its offices. What the Council, wanted to know was the requirements of, the Board, and the Board should supply particulars of the accommodation it required. He moved an amendment that the Engineer be instructed to prepare a >i suitable office and board-room, accommodation, and that he submit an estimate of cost.

Mr A. Seifert seconded the amendment, and said he favoured a central position for the - offices for the convenience of those having business with the Board. He thought it would be cheaper to rent than build offices,

'id Hie uinendment would give them all :ho inim-iimiionJhey required.

Mr \V. H. Gunning supported the amendment. The site in Levin was more central, and people having business would not have to go right to Weraroa to do it.

Mr C. Kilsby considered the '■ Weraroa site more central for people from all parts of the county. People did not all travel by car, arid as the offices were near the station’ they would be convenient for people coming from north and south.

Mr Bgrber said he was glad the question had been brought up, as it seemed there’ were, various points of view about it. ,

The chairman said lie thought the motion was getting a.little ahead tf things, as the present accoinmodatioi* was sufficient for requirements just now. To build offices, it would necessitate an outlay of £10(10 at least, in any case he did not favour the offices being at Weraroa, and thought !hey should he in a central position l in the town. That would be found the case in connection with any business t. once rn—it had its offices in a central position and its .factory or workshop in the outskirts. A central position was necessary for business purposes and the convenience of the Board’s clients. . '

J\|£ McKay,- in reply, said the separating of the offices from the Board's workshop, etc., would affect the, efficiency of ..the staff, which' should Le concentrated. H§ maintained ihai Weraroa. was central and -suitable for, clients from Shannon or the southern portion of the county who came by train. When the power was available people would come here for their elec-, trioal supplies, and there was no need for them to go into, Levin'to buy sec-ond-rate goods.

; Mr Matheson :A point of order. Why sec’oud rate? . Mr McKay: People, will come here to buy parts, and they should be able to go .to the Board’s premises and

• On Tuesday night Constable McGregor arrested a man, whose name was riot ascertainable. and whg- had* arrived in Shannon a fortnight ago, and since then had been- on a drink/ ing bout. He was in a bad way and needing medical attention. Accused appeared before Messrs. Gunning and Spencer, J.P.’s, on Wednesday, on a charge, of vagrancy, anil to-. liable him 'to receive attention he was coil- j victed and sentenced to 14 days’, im-' prisonment. j.

At the -ihquest on the 15-year-old boy, Norman godson, who committed suicide at Aramoho, the evidence showed that about 8.45 a.m. his motiier remonstrated with deceased for hitting one'of the younger children, and he said that, he would get his bike and go down town. About 1130 she had occasion to go to the bathroom, and found it locked on the inside. Site tried, to-force it open, but could not,land sent for her husband, who arrived about 10 a.m. On, forcing the door he found deceased suspended from a and dead. The lad had appeared quite normal, and his action is regarded as inexplicable.

get them from the Engineer, who would see the - people got the right ) things.’; We wpnt the Engineer’s » p-, proval of the class of goods purchas-f ed. The Engineer .should he on die premises near the station, and' not up . the town., i Therefore I* think it would . efficiency of the staff if*die heaifquarters werevin'the town. Mr Matheson also , replied and .? aid ■ that they were r dealing with the staff; but he considered the greatest efficiency would be. obtained by hav'ing’the office - centrally situated. Mcalways understood that the workshops assembly rooms would be at We-' raroa, but the executive office' die secretary, must be, in the town. As did not think the Board should go into the. retpil@ business at all. v. Mr.Matheson’s amendment was then put and" carried, the information to be supplied to next meeting.