ELECTRIC POWER FOR SHAREMILKERS.

Shannon News, 23 December 1927, Page 4

ELECTRIC POWER FOR SHAREMILKERS.

GUARANTEE BY HERD-OWNERS REQUIRED.

A measure of further financial protection for the Horowihen.ua Power Board, was secured by a motion passed at the meeting' of that body on Tuesday.

Mr Vincent said that when the list of doubtful debts was perused, several of the larger items that had to be written off had been incurred by. sharemilkers. It seemed to him that the onus of payment should be placed on the owner of the herd. He movefl that it be the policy of the Board that in future applications for' electricity by share-milkers, there must be a guarantee by the owner of the herd' and that they be advised that they will be held liable for shed accounts if the sharemilker makes default. i.

1 he chairman said lie was not satisfied that the Board should deal with the share-milker at all.. His idea was that the owner of the. land or'.of the herd should bi* responsible for the payment, and he should be the man on the Board's books as a consumer. The owner of the herd might have the excuse that he did not know that the share-milker had- not paid. ]f lhe owner became directly responsible for lhe payment of the account, he could then v mako the necessary deductions from his payments to the share-milker. At present he paid the share-milker a little more because the latter was paying for the power. There would be no complication" if the owner of the herd was the consumer on the Board's books; he had. his bi-monthly or quarterly settlement with the milker. The position would be more satisfactory both from the point of view of the man who knew the account was paid, and the staff of the Board. There might be some difficulty .where there were good payers, as most .of them were; but. the Board had to consider the matter from the point of view that it could not afford to have one bad payer. A strange man coming into the district and starting to milk might not prove suitable, and would, go out; if the owner was responsible, -then if did not mater to the Board how many share-milkers came along.

Mr Blenkhorn remarked that under the motion the Board' would secure the liability of the two parties, which was preferable to that of one. There were cases in which the share-milker Avas in a better position to pay than the owner.

The Chairman: But the redress against him is perhaps not so good as against the OAvner of the coavs. What

Mr Blenkhorn says is right, though; you have two strings to your boAv. The motion, which was seconded\by Mr Scifert,. Avas carried.

ELECTRICAL INSTALLATION CHARGES. XUT A CIIAKGE ON LAND. OBJECTION TO AMENDMENT OF 'ACT. DANNEVIRKE, Last Night. The Dannevirke Power Board to-dav considered the amendment passed last session to Section 119 of the Electric Power Boards Act, 1925, ' whereby money payable to a Board in respect of any electrical fittings or equipment installed by it on any land or in any building thereon, shall not be a charge on such land or recoverable as a rate unless prior'to such installation, consent in writing to such a charge is given by the oAvner of such laud Avhere it is liot subject to mortgage, or by owner and mortgagee or mortgagees where the land is subject to mortgage or mortgages. It Avas contended that this restriction was such as to render almost impossible the satisfactory operation of this important; part of a Board's function.

It w:is decided to take the matter up Avitli other Boards and the rower Boards Association, with the view of stimulating united action to 1 modify the existing In aw