Our Stratford Page

Taranaki Daily News, Volume LIV, Issue 198, 19 February 1912, Page 3

Our Stratford Page

ELECTRIC LIGHT SCHEME THE BOROUGH COUNCIL PROPOSALS OUTLINED. MAYOR MASTERS ON THE PLATFORM.

Friday night's meeting at the Town Hall to discuss the proposals of the Borough Council to raise a loan of £14.000 for the purpose of acquiring the Electric Supply Company's undertaking as a going concern, was well attended, interesting and orderly. Mr. James McAllister, a member of

the 'Borough Council, presided, and in his

introductory remarks said that Mr. Masters was there not only as Mayor but as a business man to put before his fellow-ratepayers a business proposition in a business wav.

NO TECHNICALITIES.

The Mayor opened by regretting the small attendance, for he considered the subject of his address was one of the most important matters that had been before the people of Stratford. He was going to speak as a business inan in a business way. He was not going to touch on technical matters. He knew just about as muc-h about that side of the question as some of the gentlemen 1 who had been writing to the newspapers —no more, nor less. (Laughter.)' They had to find out for themselves if the

concern was worth the price the company was asking for it. Ho would leave the ratepayers themselves to give their opinion on the matter, and was not going to bring any undue influence to compel them to take it. (Hear, hear.) Except as far as the acquiring of the concern would be of benefit to the ratepayers he didn't care a snap of the fingers whether the company sold or not. it had been said bv a great writer a i great Stratford writer, of course—that it was a pity that this question could not have been settled without Mr. Mastens' interference or help. Yet, he reminded his hearers, the ratepayers had been asking for this for six years. At every election during that time the question was to the front. Whfin he was elected to the Mayoralty nearly two years ago it had been one of the planks of his platform to endeavor to bring about the acquisition of the electric lighting concern by the ratepayers. He / had brought it to that stage now at | which the ratepayers could say they j would take it or .not. Had he not carried \ out his promise? j RINUCKLXG KNOBS OFF. I

There were one or two little knobs that he would like to square off. Three or four gentlemen had been writing much to the ratepayers, having a nice little game, in which the Mayor was the football. "But," he said, "the return match is to be played to-night," and these people who had talked pretty freely about him should not now complain if he talked freely his opinion of them. It had been circulated Fhat he had entered into an agreement with a director of the company to bring this transaction about, the director to buy up all the shares he could, and when the thing was over the two should divide the profits. How would they like such things said about them? This story was told to a friend of the speaker's, and they could judge of the class of man by the fact that when his friend «aid, "I'm going to tell Mr. Masters what you've said," lie pleaded "No, no; don't tell him." Such a man was a scoundrel. If he were in the audience now, and were a man at all, he would get up and repeat his allegation; if he were a coward, well, he wouldn't. "I declare to you, before God and man, that I never had any interest in the Electrical Supply Company, and I've got no interest now, and if the company sold out for £IOO,OOO it would not put a farthing in my pocket," declared the Mayor, amidst applause. Replying to certain anonymous letters written to newspapers, he said that he was convinced that the undertaking would pay interest on a loan of from £12.000 to £13,000, as he had stated yubliely before, and he was prepared to hand £2O to the Stratford Band if his) prediction were not proved correct in a couple of years. One correspondent had stated that he and Cr. King had endeavored ■to force this thing on the ratepayers. He was not here to defend Cr. King, who was quite capable of looking after himself. But lie would say that during the whole of the year and ten months which had elapsed since he had taken the matter up Cr. King had never once spoken or voted on the question at the Council table. "There is not a better councillor in this town than Cr. King. Don't malce ;uny mistake about it. (Applause.) He has served you for a great number of years. He has been four times Mayor, and whilst this matter was still a burning question he was elected at the top of the poll. There is not a straighter or more honorable man than Mr. King in this town." (Applause.) Mr. Masters entered a strong protest against the stuff that was written by some people behind the shelter of a nom de plume. He had "no time" for the man who i fired from behind a bush—a sandbagger. This was the kind of man who prevented the best men coming forward and seeking public positions in the town. | These men retarded progress. They stayed at home and hatched scandal, which they disseminated through the press. It was unmanly, cowardly, hellish, to write a letter to the public press and blacken a man's character in the eyes of the public. Anything which he (Mr. Masters) had done in connection with this matter had been done in an honorable way, and he asked to be given credit for honesty of purpose in this matter. (Applause.) Coming to the "original report," that all the noise had been about, by a few councillors, because it had not been pub-' lished, he thought it should be sufficient to say that the Council had decided that the publication of the report would be detrimental to the town. Were they going to allege that men like Crs. Sangster. McAllister, Lawson and Boon would do any underhand work in the matter? They had the actual report, and the estimated report, which was the original report, lie read the actual report, as reported in Saturday morning's issue. Coming to the matter of goodwill, fixed at £4OOO, how could they say whether or not this was excessive until they knew the profits to be made? How could they ascertain the profits till they knew the cost? And they couldn't get the cost till they knew the arbitrators' I award. Discussing the proposal, Mr. I Masters said, "I'm in the same boat as you are. There are not many bigger , property-holders than I am. If it's good | for you, it's good for me. If it's bad | for you, it's bad for me." As security j for this loan, it was proposed to strike a rate of in the £ on the unim-

❖ * f From Our Resident Reporter, * V •{• Office: No. 3, York Chambers, Stratford. $ 4* 4s»

proved value of the property in the borough. That rate would never need to be collected, for it' would' never be necessary to collect rates for a concern that was paying over £7OO profit annually.

The questiomhad been raised that the Council proposed to buy a worn-out weir and race at the works. He would have objected, too, for the lease would run out in MM, and there was no value ill the thing. The balance-sheet of the company showed the weir valued at £765 15s sd, machinery £'2121, building £137 8s 7d, a total of £30*24 4s; less depreciation £2BB lis Bd, or £2735 12s. The award for all that was £IO3B 14s. The Council was asked to pay £1034 for

something the company valued at over £2700, and the company was much perturbed by this proposal. Three years ago the undertaking had been offered to the Council for £IO,OOO. Since then the company erected lines costing £SOO, bought a freehold at £ 185, and obtained water rights in perpetuity for £3OO, making the concern worth £ 10,5>85. For this and the goodwill the Council was asked £9824. To satisfy himself as to the worth of the goodwill, a ratepayer had to put himself in the position of a man buying a business. If after paying interest on the goodwill he saw that he could make a reasonable profit out of the business, then he would go ahead. Tuis was the position. !

The Mayor considered that the municipality should own and control its own lighting concern, all things being equal. His reasons were (1) That one couldn't mention a single municipal lighting concern that was not paying; (2) this borough was paying one-ninth of the' revenue of the company, buying wholesale and paying retail prices; (3) the Borough Council's lighting bill was £3OO a/ 3'ear, 'iind £3OO was equal to interest on £6000; (4) the demand for street lights was very great, and a number of additional street lights would have to be erected; (5) the Council's lighting bill in a coupl,e of years would reach the .sum of £3OO per annum. This would pay interest on '£lo,ooo. One of the greatest opponents of taking over this concern had estimated that in three years from now the Council's lighting bill would be, £6OO a year. That amount would al-| most pay the interest on-the whole proposed loan. He predicted that unless the Council took over the concern the y 2 d lighting rate would have to be doubled, whereas by acquiring the undertaking it would never have to be levied. The people knew quite well that this borough could not afford to pay £SOO or £6OO a year for lighting the town. By taking over the concern the borough would be able to place street lights wherever required, with little extra expense. The £7OO profit would pay interest on a further loan of £14,000 for further bor-1 ougli improvements, or it would reduce rates by £1 in every £6. He asked, "Is this a good business proposition? 'lf you think so, vote for it. If you don't think so, don't vote for It." Additional connections were being made almost daily, and lie did not think it was extravagant to say the income would soon amount to £IOOO a vear.

Some said, "Let it rip to the end of the company's concession, and then we'll get it for nothing." For his part, he wasn't built that way—looking to get something for nothing. But they had to remember that the company had the right to light the streets until September 13, 1919, the, end of their concession, and til after that day the Council couldn't put a single pole in the streets. Jfeither could they erect a pole until the company's poles were out of the way. If the ratepayers allowed the company to run till the last day of the concession the company would have the whip hand ten times more than now. "You can get everything ready to start a plant of jour own, but you can't touch the streets till they are gone. They'll dictate to you what you shall pay them. Furthermore, they're not going to shift out so easily. They query your right to shift them at the end of the term, and it may mean litigation. The company isn't going out till it is driven out." Replying to the frequent assertion that the valuers had condemned the plant as obsolete and practically useless, lie said the Council was paying only an obsolete price. The valuers had said the plant was good for many years yet, hut when the time came for supplying an increased demand, then it would be best to duplicate the plant which the company was now installing. That was a long way off yet. Of the new plant to arrive, Mr. Shepherd, the Council's valuator, had written to the personally that it was eminently suitable for the work required of it. Some asked: "What will you d® when the water rights run out?" A verv reasonable question. The lease runs out in 1916. Then the Council would approach the Public Trustee (the land was a native reserve) and endeavor to get the six acres leased direct to the Council. Failing that the Council would have to deal with the incoming tenant, and could, if necessary, take the land under the Public Works Act.

Concluding, Mr. Masters .asked the ratepayers to think the matter over very seriously. "The town," he said, "belongs to you. A l(irge number of you are settled here permanently. You've got your homes here, and in all probability will be here all your lifetime, and your' children after you." He asked them to do whatever they considered was in the- best interests of the town, and urged each ratepayer, whatever his or her opinion, to take the trouble to vote. He asked them, too, to give him and the Council credit for honesty of purpose in this matter. Notwithstanding all that had been said by writers to the papers, they had no desire to "play the ratepayers on" in the interests of the Stratford Electrical Supply Company.

QUESTIONS. Questions were invited, and several were forthcoming. Mr. L. Lilley asked for some idea of the likely cost of working the new generating plant, and, further, if it would be wise to use this and let the waterpower run to waste.—The Mayor said he was not an engineer, so the question was hardly fair. But it was his own opinion that it would be wise to use the water to its fullest extent, and turn to oil or steam engines for power required over and above. Mr. Wilson asked what was the net income of the company last year, noS including anything brought forward from the previous year.—The town clerk read the company's balance-sheet. The net income was £1043. The balance forward was £433, so the gross profit was £1479. Bad and doubtful debts, depreciation, etc., reduced the net profit to £97'9 19s 3d, which, with £433 brought forward froin the previous year,' meant that the profit for the year was £544. Mr. Wilson: How long does the corn-

mittce intend that the profits will take to wipe off the £4OOO goodwill. The Mayor: You're asking me how many five humlmis it will take to make four thousand. It's easy for you to work that out. <U lighter.) .Mr. Wilson pointed out that there remained }'/> years to the end of the concession. If the £4OOO had to be wiped out in that time, and the profits of the company were only about £SOO a year (or less than was required for this purpose alone), where was the interest oil the £IO,OOO to come from? Mr. Masters: You want to know liow much we will make in 7% years over and above the goodwill? This' would not amount to much certainly, but was that the only advantage? You can have another 100 lights in the streets at the same cost as the 7,0 now. It will cost no more to produce as much again as what is produced now. Mr. E. McK. Morison moved that in the opinion of this meeting it was not I desirable that the Council take over the company's interests. Mr. Morison pro-. duced a sheaf of papers, and was about to address the meeting, when the chapman informed him that if he wished to make a speech lie should take the hall I on some night, as Mr. Masters had done, to which Mr. Morison retorted that the ratepayers, and not Mr. Masters, were paying for the hall that night, and he contended that a ratepayer had ever right to speak. Mr. Masters had labored the point that it was a good thing to take over the undertaking, but whilst he gave the Mayor credit for honesty of purpose it must be admitted that there were others just as keen after a bargain. The chairman said it was unfair to the people that at this stage they should have another speech inflicted on them. Mr. Masters advanced to the front of the platform, saying he rose to a point of order, but

Mr. Morison called on the chairman for his ruling as to whether or not he was to be allowed to speak with his. motion and speak to it. Mr. McAllister: Mr. Masters has risen to a point of order. You, as an experienced chairman, ought to know that it is your place to sit down when he rises to a point of order.

Mr. Morison sat accordingly. Mr. Masters' "point of order" was that no ratepayer had the right to get up in the body of the hall and make a speech. "Come up here," he called to , Mr. Morison, "and I'll take your seat." / Urged by cries of "Go on!" "Go on!" I Mr. Morison took the platform. / Then Mr. McAllister said Mr. Morison j ought to find another enairman. He , had come here to take charge of Mr. j Masters' meeting. If Mr. Morison was J taking charge he should get a chairman j of his own.

Mr. It. Dingle moved that Mr. H. Wilson take the chair. He explained that he wanted to hear Mr. Morison's side of the case, to compare with that put' forward by the Mayor. ■Mr, Morison, in asking Mr. McAllister to resume the chair, said that if he made one ungentlemanly or ungenerous remark about Mr. Masters he would be prepared to sit down.

Mr. McAllister agreed to act, and the meeting proceeded.

'Mr. Morison said he would not attempt to discuss the figures in detail, but even a novice could cut some of theta forward in another'' light. Mr. Masters had said the Council would save the secretary's salary of £IOO. Did he think the town clerk would do the work for nothing If that was a fair sample of Mr. Masters' reasoning he strongly advised the ratepayers to leave the thing alone.

A voice: We want more light. Mr. Mp" -,on said it was quite unnecessary to f ike over the company's interests. The Government had authorised £300,000 for the development of waterpower, and in a very few years Stratford might be able to connect with the Government mains just as they were now connected with the telegraph and telephone services. Sir Joseph Ward had said he hoped to he able to put electrie light into every home in New Zea-. land. Touching on the scheme for acquiring the local works by the Council, Mr. Morison said: "I'd like to be convinced, but I'd like to see the man that can do it." (Laughter.) The present plant had been running 13V 2 years, and, according to highest authorities, was now two-thirds worn out, for its life was only 21 years.

A voice: What are you paying for it? Mr. Morison: The valuers say it is obsolete. They say it's in fairly good order; but that it might be advisable to discard it while still in good order. In a few years the plant would have to be added to, and additions would be necessary from time to time. The Mayor had not said anything about that. Mr. Morison explained just here that he couldn't say all he had wanted to say, for this was the first time he had had the privilege; or the audacity,' perhaps, to address a meeting from the stage, and he had ■'been taken by surprise. The company claimed to be doing very well. More power to them. Thev were enterprising enough to start the company when the ratepayers were not prepared to take the matter up. "But why, in the name of fortune, should the ratepayers pay £4OOO for a goodwill, when by waiting 7% years they would get it for nothing?

Mr. Masters asked if Mr. Morison was aware that most of the accounts were kept practically by the meter-readers ? _ Mr. Morison reiterated that the ■Council couldn't expect the town clerk to do the clerical work of the electrical department for nothing. Mr. Masters reminded Mr. Moiison that a week before the decision to put this matter before the ratepayers he (Mr. Morison) had said'lie thought it Would be one of the best things for the town to take it over.

Mr. Morison said he was in favor of taking the thing over to-morrow, but not on the terms submitted. "When I buy a horse or a cow I want to value myself." When the laughter subsided, he explained, "I mean I want to be satisfied of its worth."

A voice: Come down out of that. You're wasting the ratepayers' time! Mr. W. T-I. H. Young seconded the moThe Mayor stepped again to the platform, and the meeting 'laughed heartily as the leaders of the two camps sat at the table to await the verdict.

_ Mr. llenly advocated leaving the motion until such tinje as the councillors in opposition had aired their views.

The motion was declared lost on the voices, and when a vote of thanks to the chairman had been carried on the voices, the meeting terminated. A. 85 P. ASSOCIATION

There was a capital attendance of the general committee of the A. & P. Association to-day, Mr. W. P. Kill-wood, the president, in the'chair. The resignation of Mr. E. Jackson as secretary was accepted with regret, and it was decided to invite applications for the position at a salary of £l5O, with a commission of 2% per cent, on all donations and members' subscriptions collected, the secretary to devote his whole time to the Association's affairs, or to engage only in such other work as the committee approves. Some discussion took place on' the matter of engaging a man at, say, £250, to devote his whole time to the Association. In the argument many members laid great stress on the necessity of procuring a secretary who would' canvass for-members, which led Mr. Hugh Good to reprove the speakers who, lie said,

were more concerned with getting subscriptions and donations than with getting a man who could successfully run the show. That was the man to get. The present members should be able to do all the canvassing for new members. It was decided to call for tenders for leasing the Association's property for a term,, of twelve months. The executive committee's recommendation to offer by auction the right of the publican's booth at the gymkana was adopted. Messrs. A. McCutchan (Whangamomona), T. Gardiner (Stratford), W. Swadling (Kaponga), 11. Stratford (Tariki), W. V. Harkness (Tariki), A. David (Cardiff), D. S. Glasgow (Stratford), R. Harkness (Xgaere), and J. Corbett (Te Wera) were added to the general committee.

A. & P. CONFERENCE

STRATFORD MAKES A MOVE. At to-day's meeting of the general committee of the Stratford A. & P. Association it was decided to communicate with all the A. & P. Associations from Palmerston North to New Ply-, mduth, with a view of arranging a conference of delegates to discuss matters of interest to the associations. In a list of subjects to be submitted by Mr. R. H. Masters as being suitable for discussion were: Arranging show dates; gate charges; canvassing for entries, is it desirable?; no entries to be received after advertised date of closing; privileges to members of kindred associations; should membership tickets be issued to members (previous to show) whose subscriptions for the current year are unpaid?; issue of luncheon tickets; and the question of whether cattle should be entered in more than one class.

GENERAL NEWS

The "pay-outs" at dairy factories in this district for January milk arc: Xgaere (cheese), £326(i, Lowgarth, £2540; Cardiff. £1007; Stratford. £8206 (r* against £7139 in the previous January) .

At the Foresters' Hall on Friday night the members of St. Andrew's Lawn Tennis Club and a number of friends farewelled Mr. R. D. Brown, captain and secretary of the club. During the evening Mr. H. W. Douglas, on behalf of the club, presented Mr. Brown with a handsome toilet outfit. In a neat speech, whilst disclaiming any pretence of oratory, Mr. Douglas thanked Mr. Brown for and congratulated him upon the thorough manner in which he had carried out his duties, and his undoubted value to the club for some time past. The recipient, in returning thanks, regretted severing his very pleasant associations with the club. Songs were sung ;by Misses Maekey and Irvine, Messrs. N. Templer, Lewis and Douglas; and Miss B. Morison gave a \;ialin solo. A few card-tables were kept in use bv non-dancers.

The annual meeting of the Domain Board should have been held on Friday, 9th inst. No quorum being available, the meeting was adjourned to this Friday, and again lapsed. There's an Oddfellow on the general committee of the A. & P. .Association. He rose to address Saturday's meeting, and opened by addressing the president as "Most noble." There was a smile amongst those who caught the remark, but as someone else was still airing his views the words weren't too plainly heard.

Mr. Brown, shuhter in the local rail way yard, is being transferred to Oha kune.

This morning's train from Hawera, comprised about forty vehicles. Two entwines hauled it, and'even these couldn't bring it to .Stratford within half an hour of schedule time. Instead of the mail passing the uptrain here, they met at Eltham.