POWER BOARD ESTIMATES.

Shannon News, 21 May 1926, Page 4

POWER BOARD ESTIMATES.

IMPORTANT QUESTIONS DISCUSSED. CONSTRUCTION BY CONTRACT. , At Tuesday’s meeting of the Boro- , whenua Power Board tire estimates for j the present year were considered. As j submitted by the treasurer (Mr. P. W. 1, Goldsmith) and Finance Committee j these were as follows: — , - Estimated Loan Expenditure, 1926-27. • * I Loan’s share of Interest ...... 4000 ’ ’ ” ” Salaries .... 050 i ” ” ” Transport .. 500 1 Poles 1000' Meters 1000 Wire 900 Insulators 450 Transformers 800 Sundries, and Contingencies .... 000 Wage expenditure 2500 Total £12,400 Estimated Revenue, 1926-27. £ . £ Electricity: < Lighting and Heating 12,000 Power 13,000 Street Lighting 1,150 Meter Rents ..' 1100 Rent of Houses 200 Profit on. Trading Account ...... 150 £27,000 Balance from last year ■ 4780 £32,380 Estimated Revenue Expenditure, 19261927. £ £ Outside Staff (wages) ... 3000 Salaries 2400 Outside Stations 150 Member’s Fees 430 Transport '. 1500 —= 7480 General Expenses: Insurances 350 Printing and Advertising 180 ‘Stationery and Office Supplies 100 Telephone, Postages and Exchange 230 Rent, Collectors, Interest on Overdraft 500 Material for maintenance and Repairs 200 Interest and Sinking Fund .... 8000 Electricity .’ .* 13,000 Contingencies 1000

£31,040 Paying the Interest. j Explaining the it’eiA "Loan’s share i of interest,.” the chairman said the. Board had authority to pay the second | year’s interest and sinking fund out of loan /and there was no reason why the .‘money could not be repaid to the loan account out of revenue when the Board’s affairs warranted it. It could then be used for construction work in the /listrict. It was estimated when they started operations that it would take ten years to see the completion of the whole thing. It was- a legal way of borrowing £4OOO. For the information of new members he said the Board had not easily obtained authority to pay the s’econd year’s interest out of loan, but had gone to some trouble to get it. He said the first three items on the estimated expenditure were the only ones they were certain about, the rest were purly estimates and problematical at that. Mr. Ross: What amount;of expenditure is the Board committed to? The chairman, replied by saying that the estimate did not particularly concern the fixing of three items of interest, salaries and transport, but rather the share to be borne by the loan and revenue accounts respectively. The remaining items were problematical, they might be less, or more. Construction by Tender. Mr. Ross (Foxton) questioned whether it might not be better for the Board to call for tenders for lines required to be constructed. It might be more economical than keeping a large staff on. The chairman said there must be a certain staff kept up for maintenance. The Board’s first duty was to supply current to consumers. The idea was that the staff should be ample for that and that when not. required in maintenance work should go ou with the con: struction of new lines. Otherwise wliat would they Have for the staff’ to do. They had to have a staff large enough to guarantee that the current would Ibe there for consumers when required and they had a large district to cover. The current might be off for five minutes. What would that cost the Board in loss of units? It was not entirely the public convenience that required a sufficient staff but the reduction of possible loss to the Board. Mr. Matheson said the idea was for the maintenance and construction to be worked together. The engineer said it only meant about six men.

’ Mr. Ross said the estimates provided for £2500 out of loan and £3500 out of revenue for wages which seemed a vory large sum for the amount of maintenance they vyould have to do. The chairman said that until they had a year’s working to go by they could not tell definitely what they would require. They would then be able lo analyse the figures. The estimates for the outside staff were purely estimates and might be cut down on the maintenance side to £ISOO, The longest line they had to do was only one and a half miles arid they would probably get no one to tender for it. Their present staff knew what they wanted and it might not be good policy to bring in outsiders who did not know. r J'he Board would still have to pay for supervision if they let. the work by contract. The secretary (Mr. P. W. Goldsmith) said that the estimates provided for Pott’s Road, ICawiu Road, Rahui Road, and the Soldier’s Road at Paraparaumu. Therefore if would be difficult to fiud any long pieces of work anywhere. The estimates were then adopted.