POWER BOARD CHAIRMANSHIP.

Shannon News, 25 May 1923, Page 4

POWER BOARD CHAIRMANSHIP.

MR MONK RE-ELECTED

The meeting "of the Horowhenua Power Board on Tuesday was the first alter the recent elections, and the necessity therefore arose of electing a chairman. The secretary, Mr P. W. Goldsmith, presided and called for nominations for the office. Mr D. W. Matheson thereupon nominated Mr G. A. Monk, who has been chairman since the Board’s inception, for the position. In doing so he remarked that Mr Monk had the full confidence of the Board, and, as evidenced at the recent election, of the ratepayers as well. In this connection Mr Matheson congratulated the members who fought the election, on their return. One good effect of the election had been that the candidates had been able to give the public and ratepayers a large amount of information as to the transactions of the Board that they would not have had if there had been no election. In that respect the County representatives had done good work. Mr A. Seifert seconded the motion, and expressed the general satisfaction with Mr Monk’s chairmanship. The motion was then put and arried unanimously, and Mr . Monk took the chair.

The chairman thanked the members sincerely for re-electing him, remarking that he was getting used to being elected chairman of various local bodies. He was glad to know that besides the ratepayers he had the full backing of the Board. He could only say he had done his best to push on the arrangements that would supply their district with electricity, but he could have done nothing without the full support of the Board. When the Board went, out of office recently he felt that it was due to the members to give them the opportunity without having to fight an election, of continuing the work they had begun. However, the ratepayers or some of them, thought differently, and the speaker felt before the fight went very far that it was one of the finest things that could have happened as it gave an opportunity for propaganda that the members were not slow to seize. The result, was that hundreds of ratepayers throughout the whole district now knew a good deal more about the Board’s business than they did before. The majority of the ratepayers realised now that the Board was doing good work; they showed that at the ballot box. He believed this was the only Power Board in the Wellington Provincial District, and probably the North island, that had an election, though they had one. in Southland, where the chairman was put out. The Board had a great deal of important work before it during the next twelve months, but, with the assistance of its officers, was quite capable of coping with it. He hoped that by this time twelve months, they would be near the position of being able to supply the district with electricity. (Hear, hear).