THE USE OF ELECTRICITY.

Shannon News, 25 August 1925, Page 3

THE USE OF ELECTRICITY.

HESPONSIBIUTY FOR ACCIDENTS,

Reporting to the Horowhenua Power Board this week, the consulting engineer referred to the recent oon.ference of Power Board Engineers in Wellington as follows:—"Clauses in the regulations which make it incumbent upon Boards to test all installations in accordance with the rules of the NZ. Fire Underwriters' Association is recommended for repeal and that regulations be drawn up by the Public Works Department is to be substituted. A lot of information in regard to responsibilities of Power Boards was put forward and the Engineers Conference strongly recommended the Main Conference to object to accepting the whole of the responsibility for accidents arising from the use of electricity on ■ consumers' premises. It was thought that this was an unfair responsibil- > ity to place upon Power Boards in ! view of the fact that accidents so far I have been chiefly caused by wilful j misuse of electrical appliances and | again the fact that if such responsi-1 bility was assumed by Power Boards regular inspections would have to be ( made which in the case of country \ Power Boards would entail very , large expenditure and even then i would not insure against the chief cause of fatal accidents."

The chairman (Mr Monk) said the Public Works. Department said someone must take the responsibility and who better than the licensee. They were going to fix the responsibility on the Boards even when there was absolute negligence on the part of the user. The Power Boards did not agree with that and the Engineers were very much opposed to it. Many suggestions were made and he thought that as a result of the Engineers' Conference some satisfactory arrangement would be made. The Public Works Department would have to take some responsibility.