ELECTRIC LIGHTING DEPARTMENT.

Taranaki Daily News, 6 December 1919, Page 6

ELECTRIC LIGHTING DEPARTMENT.

(To the Editor.) Sir, —Your footnote to niy letter re electrical charges misrepresents the position when you say that my idea is that the electric light department should make no profit. That would be almost too good to expect, but I realise that there is at present only two ways of running any business: for a profit or a loss. But, Ido contend-that when the service is rendered to the people by the people's representatives it should as far as possible be real service, and not a money-making business only. If you will, refer again to my letter you will find that I said: "That whilst adequate provision is made for contingencies, yet tha profits when made should be redistributed among those from whom they were made." If your correspondent "C. E. Baker" will refer to the balance-sheet of the electrical department of the Borough Council he will find these words "Appropriated by District Fund in relief of rates, £6897 IBs 6d;" This relief is given to each ratepayer s in proportion to the amount of rates that he pays. One or two persons are the chief ratepayers; there are of course many small ones, but the smaller ratepayers contribute almost as much towards the profits of t'ie. department as they receive by way of relief of rates, so that to the relief of the pockets of one or two of our wealthy <;icizerjs the aincmit is transferred. If M:. Baker reqirres the names .ie iun ?e'; on refe.iing to the Valuation Roll.—l am, etc., W. JUSH. New Plymouth, Dec. 4,1919. [We have no desire to misrepresent Mr. Nash, or anyone else. And we really don't think we have done so. Mr. Nash's contention is clear enough, viz., that the ratepayers are not entitled to relief in rates afforded by the transference of any profits from the electric light department. He holds that so long as the profits are disbursed in benefiting the borough as a whole it is a good way of treating the .profits. Anyway, who undertook the responsibility for raising of the money for the establishment of the works, the ratepayers or the consumers? If the ratepayers did they are entitled to some relief their enterprise has made possible'! If there were even a suggestion of exploitation it would be a different matter, but the charges to-day are amongst the very lowest in the Dominion. It does not necessarily follow, however, that by transference of the electric lighting profits to the general account the ratepayers are saved the payment of extra rates. It was quite possible that extra work is done in the borough because of the profits being available.—Ed,]