POWER AND LIGHT.

Shannon News, 21 October 1927, Page 3

POWER AND LIGHT.

NEB DS OF OUTLYING CONSUMERS

BOARD CONFIRMS A SAFE POLICY.

At the meeting of the Horowhenua Power Board on Tuesday, Mr W. E. Barber asked if the officers could take a census of the milking sheds that were not linked up with the sys- | tern, and of those that were within the radius of linking-up. . The chairman (Mr Monk) said that the idea was aa good one, and houses should be included in the inquiry, in Otaki there was quite a block of houses with no connection at all, and this despite the fact that there were no gasworks in that town. Where people were being supplied by gasworks, the Board should not rush the matter; but in some districts the service was available to people and they were not using it This Board did not have to enforce anv availability rate, but if they we>-e in" the position of some of the Boards they would have had to do so. It would be as well for the Board s officers to ascertain how many people were available to the mains who were not receiving a supply. Mr Blenkhorn said that it the result of this inquiry led to further business, the Board might consider whether some concession could not be given to the people who were outside the scope ot existing lines. There might be many cases of that kind in the district, and the Board had a duty to those people. The Board, was pledged to the repayment of its large loans. The farmers who lived furthest from the mains were often in the worst financial position. Electricity was conducive to the efficient working of the farms and to a comfort which some of the farmers were not at present able to obtain. If the Board secured a substantial increase in revenue, as a result of increased business in the nearer territory, it should give attention to the question of extensions to these outlying and struggling farmers. If the latter had to pay a very large sum for extra poles to begin with, it was very hard on them. The chairman said it had always been the intention of the Board to extend the services. It was found that the more the current was taken up in j.he central parts of the district, the better position the Board would be in to push its mains further afield and give advantages to those who had not hitherto benefitted. The Board was now running some of its lines to sparsely settled areas, and it was enabled to do ' that by the good support of those who were in close touch with the mains. Whilst it followed that policy the Board could not go very far wrong. The chairman aded that the Board had a j map showing every milking-shed, but i he did not know whether it showed every house. The engineer (Mr J. A. Smith) stated that the map was now a little out of date.

Tho Chairman: There are some places that we cannot touch, but there are others that are just over the border line, to whom the supply would be a big advantage. Mr Vincent: Have we had many applications from those to whom it is not available?

The Chairman: Very few. The question now raised concerns those to whom it is available, but who are not using it. The man adjaeent.to the line who is using it must assist the man who is away from it. * On the whole our reticulation has reached out fairly well, and there is no reason why w:e should not go on extending it accordingly.

Mr Blenkhorn said that a few of the settlers to whom he had been talking had boon-given to understand that extensions would cost them, perhaps, £IOO, and they said that this was out of the question. That was why their applications were not before the Boarel.

Mr Gunning said he assumed that the policy of the Board had been first to attend to the paying part of the business. Until they had reached that point and connected up these consumers, they could not take much risk of expenditure on non-productive business. If they did, they might possibly find themselves in the position of some Boards that could not collect the rate. The time, would come, no doubt, when iho. Board would be able to shoulder a little burden to connect up the outlying farms. In the meantime, where the Board wanted a guarantee, it was getting it, and it was collecting the business that would not show a loss. The Board would have to be very careful about carrying lines into sparsely populated districts. They might serve one or two people with a few miles of line, and soon require to raise a good deal more money that would not be productive.